The Princess and The Pirate
by Caro June
Summary: Takes place shortly after Han and Leia's marriage. The team is sent on a mission to procure supplies for the New Republic and as usual, things go badly wrong. Will feature Han and Leia, with Chewie, Luke, Wedge and some original characters. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I wasn't going to start this story yet, but this opening just popped into my brain and I had to write it down. Not sure where I'm going with it yet – but I'll try to work on it regularly.

Let me know if I should continue.

**The Princess and The Pirate  
><strong>Chapter 1

Light Sabres and Blaster Bolts

Leia Organa Solo spun to her left and caught a glimpse of Han in action. Even in the middle of the pitched battle they found themselves in, she took a millisecond to enjoy the little thrill thinking of those three names together brought her. "My husband," she thought even as she moved to block another blaster bolt that was headed directly toward his back. Leia had barely started her Jedi training, and wasn't very far along with it, but had insisted on being trained in "BBB" first, as Han liked to refer to it. When Luke had questioned his new brother-in-law on exactly what BBB stood for, he had grinned his famous lopsided smile and said "You know. 'Blaster-Bolt-Blocking.' Should come in handy they way people are always trying kill us."

With a quick mental shake of her head, Leia brought her attention back fully to the present. If they didn't figure a way out of this soon, she wouldn't be enjoying her new status as "Mrs. Captain Han Solo," as Han loved calling her, for very much longer.

Leia, Han, Luke, Chewie, Wedge and a few other alliance personnel had recently been sent on a mission that was supposed to be simple. After all, now that the Empire had been defeated, wasn't everything supposed to be simple? They had gone to Torlera, a small port city located on the southern tip of Tal-Edonn, a world which had joined the Rebellion a few years back and had been instrumental in helping with supplies.

They were supposed to pick up an assortment of items, ranging from Bacta to mining supplies, to precious metals and gems. The gems and metals were especially sought after, since anything that could be traded was a boon to the struggling New Republic, as they tried to repay debts and return favors to worlds that had been of assistance in their fight for freedom. Everything had gone well at first. They had landed, made contact with their broker and paid for the supplies with no difficulties.

After loading everything into the Falcon's hold, Han and Leia had even been able to enjoy a relatively care-free evening and night together, dining in an exotic restaurant, then strolling hand-in-hand through Torlera's quaint market places. Han had especially enjoyed purchasing a few small trinkets for Leia, and had equally enjoyed it when she had returned the favor, presenting him with a small, but deadly new prototype of a viroblade. He had lost his favorite one in the aftermath of his nearly fatal fight with one of Tal-Edonn's indigenous beasts when they had been there the first time. (See "Once Upon a Rebellion" for back story involving events on Tal-Edonn).

The trouble had started the next morning. They were almost ready for lift off, when they had been contacted by the broker. She had indicated they had just received a large shipment of additional mining supplies and wanted to know if their party was interested. After a short conference, it had been decided that Leia and Luke would go and negotiate. However, Han had tagged along at the last second, stating he wanted to stretch his legs one last time before they returned to space.

Neither Luke nor Leia had sensed any duplicity from any participants at the meeting where a new agreement had been reached. Han had relaxed and enjoyed bantering with some of the other spacers in town while he had been waiting for negotiations to be completed.

So it had been a complete shock when an attack had materialized almost out of nowhere. The three of them had been on their way back to the Falcon, deep in conversation. Leia was particularly animated about the additional supplies they had been able to secure and Han had been enjoying watching her beautiful face as it lit up while she described the negotiations to him.

As they came around a corner only a few blocks from the spaceport, several soldiers and mercenaries had appeared in front of them, and had simply opened fire. It was only because of Luke's Jedi skills they had survived the initial t bout of blaster bolts and had been able to dive for cover into an alley to their right.

Luke had his light sabre out in less than a second and immediately parried the bolts back toward their attackers, while Han had shoved Leia ahead of him into the alley. As soon as the initial assault ceased, Luke joined them. "What was that all about?" he demanded, popping his head up and turning right and left looking for more foes.

"Get down, Luke!" Leia shouted, as a second, more determined flurry of shots burst over their heads. Han reached up an arm and yanked Luke back down. "We need to find a back way outta' here!" he shouted, and with his blaster in front of him, he crouched and sprinted away, heading behind them, hoping the alley opened into another street. But he was quickly disappointed as it not only came to an abrupt dead end, but when he looked over his shoulder at the renewed sounds of fire, he saw the white clam shell suits of Storm Troopers.

Hurrying back to his wife and Luke, he yanked his comlink to his lips. "Hey Wedge," he shouted, as he raised his head and fired back, before quickly ducking back down. "We've got a situation here."

The situation deteriorated quickly. Han shouted their location to the Falcon, even as he stood to his full height, in order to take better aim. If Luke was lethal with his saber, Solo was just as accurate and deadly with his blaster. He took out the two leading Storm Troopers with one bolt, and whirled, aiming for a third. In spite of the seriousness of their circumstances, he had a feral grin on his face and it was obvious that while he wasn't exactly enjoying himself, he was definitely in his element.

It was at that moment Leia had spun and blocked the bolt heading for Han's back. "Careful there, flyboy," she shouted as his head snapped around when the felt the heat of her blade when it intercepted the bolt. "I'm not quite ready to give up my new name yet."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one from Star Wars.

Author's Note: This story seems to be developing a mind of its own. I have chapter 3 written and just awaiting a final edit. But on my way home from work today, as I was mulling it over, my brain suddenly thought of a twist in the story line I was not expecting. That probably won't show up for a few chapters, but I can hardly wait to write it.

Meanwhile, I appreciate any reviews, comments, suggestions and critique. I am glad to see all the traffic the story is receiving, but would be encouraged by a few more reviews. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**The Princess and The Pirate**

****Chapter 2

**Capture****!**

"Thanks Sweetheart," Han quipped as he dispatched yet another adversary. Just when they thought they were making good progress, Luke pointed, "Look! Over there!" And Leia and Han both gulped as they saw dozens more of their adversaries appearing to take the place of those they had already killed. "I think we're in trouble," Han whispered, as he and Leia ducked back down and took cover.

"Wedge," Solo called into his comlink, "We're in trouble here! Are you and Chewie coming?" Luke sank down next to his sister and leaned his head over toward Han as they listened to Wedge's terse response. "That's a negative, Solo. We've got problems too. There's at least a company of Storm Troopers here and they've got cannons. We're going to have to take the Falcon up. Can you hold out?"

"Can we hold out?" Han looked to both Leia and Luke for an answer, knowing even as he did that they couldn't. They were well and truly trapped. But he didn't want the ship or the alliance personnel to fall victim as well, and knew their best hope for rescue lay in the Falcon.

"Well," Leia shook her head. "Probably not, but you'd better tell Wedge to get out of here while he can. They can always come back for us." Luke nodded his agreement and Han replied in a reasonably nonchalant voice. "Ah, sure, Wedge. We're fine here; only a minor problem. Get out of there; get the ship to safety. Just don't forget to come back for us."

Wedge acknowledged and tried not to hear the blaster shots that accompanied Solo's orders or the frantic sound of Leia's voice when she shouted "Look out! Get back!" Chewbacca barked in frustration but didn't interfere with Wedge's maneuvers as he took the Falcon straight up off the landing pad. He simply took his irritation out on the hapless enemies left on the ground, obliterating as many of them as he could with the Falcon's ion cannons.

The Falcon shot through the planet's atmosphere and Wedge intended to simply enter a holding pattern and land as soon as they could get new coordinates. However, before he could establish orbit, the Ensign who was working navigation pointed to the screen. "Captain Antilles! On our starboard. There – there's a capital class ship in pursuit. And our sensors show two more leaving the planet."

Chewbacca howled and pounded his fists on the console in vexation and fury, knowing they would have to make a quick jump to hyperspace and therefore would not only be unable to get back in time to rescue Han and the others, but would be out of comlink range as well, with no way to notify them, or hear what happened to them. Before he even completed his thought, Wedge announced on the ship wide communication system – "Hope everyone is strapped in. We're making the jump to lightspeed in 3 – 2 – 1!" and the stars winked out around them.

Han looked up when he heard the familiar roar of his beloved ship as she shot for open space and gave a Corellian war cry as she blasted into the upper atmosphere. He figured the Falcon's crew had fried more than a few of their enemies on her way out. However, his momentary flush of pride and victory was short lived as he heard Leia's anxious cry of "Get down!" and felt her hand on his sleeve. He didn't realize he had risen slightly and given his ship a salute with his blaster as she had roared away.

Solo's triumphant cry turned into a yelp of pain as a bolt sizzled across his right wrist, causing him to stagger back and drop his gun. "It's nothing, just grazed me," he answered his wife before she could formulate the words. Grabbing his blaster up again, he turned back toward the battle, but they all realized it was hopeless as the wall of troopers closed in around them and they had nowhere to go.

"Drop your weapons, scum!" the cold and synthesized voice sounded all too familiar, and Han couldn't help but turn his head slightly toward Luke and mutter, "Didn't we just leave this party?" as he reluctantly lowered his blaster back to the ground and raised his hands. He stood carefully and slowly, interposing his body between the soldier in front of him and Leia. Luke and Leia both turned their light sabres off and likewise eased them, as well as their blasters to the ground in front of them.

"Yeah," Luke murmured back. "Seems like we did. And looks like the odds are the same as always."

"Shut up, rebel vermin," the Colonel in charge of the continent of Storm Troopers stated in the same cold voice. Turning to a subordinate, he instructed, "Secure the prisoners and then search them. Thoroughly. " Han looked ready to fight, but changed his mind and stood completely still when he saw one of the mercenaries who had been among those that had fired the first shots, raise his rifle barrel and place its muzzle to the back of Leia's head. Neither he nor Luke moved a muscle as their arms were yanked behind them and secured with stun cuffs. Leia winced when she saw a momentary flash of pain cross Han's features at the rough treatment to his wounded arm, but said nothing as she was likewise cuffed.

Once all three of them were secure, they were summarily searched. Leia's small hold out pistol was quickly located, as was the knife in Solo's left boot and Luke's vibroblade. However, somehow the small vibroblade Leia had gotten Han as a gift the night before was overlooked, probably because it felt more like a writing instrument than a weapon. Han refrained from a smile as he felt the soldier's hand brush against the knife in his right cargo pants pocket, but then pass over it. He knew in that moment they had just been given an advantage. It was a small one, to be sure, but one he would be certain to make the most of.

To distract them from searching him further, he snarled at the mercenary still holding his rifle pointed at Leia. "So, what's the deal? What kind of coward are you and who do you work for?"

The man with the rifle had a lightening temper and immediately stepped away from the Princess, raising the rifle and striking Solo a blow to his temple. It was hard enough to bring the pilot to his knees, but not render him completely unconscious. "I don't answer to you. Now shut up, unless you want more." Solo managed to raise his head and of course, would not shut up.

"Why not?" he growled. "If that's all you got, then we've got nothin' to worry about." Before he could be struck again, however, the crowd of soldiers parted and a well dressed man approached the three prisoners.

"Enough, Kenfer." He quietly instructed the man who had his rifle raised, ready to hit Solo once more. "You'll have plenty of time for that later. Right now, we've attracted enough attention. It's time to get to our ship and get started."

Luke and Leia glanced at each other in alarm, and managed to communicate their intentions without a word. Luke planned to use the force to free them, and closed his eyes, visualizing the clasps on their wrist binders. However, just as he was gathering the force to himself, he suddenly felt as if a wet, warm blanket had been thrown over him. His force senses blanked out and he stumbled forward, almost falling to the ground. But one of the soldiers caught him by his arm, and pulled him upright. Leia was also affected, though not as dramatically as her brother

"Wha? What's happening, Luke," she mumbled, shaking her head and trying to clear her mind. Solo had just been hauled to his feet again and hearing the distress in Leia's voice turned his head toward her. "Leia! Luke, what is it? What's wrong?"


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: I realize I'm taking a little bit of liberty with timelines here. I know Han and Leia did not marry until at least 5 years after ROTJ, however, for my purposes they married sometime before that. It is earlier in the reign of the New Republic, and before Leia became head of state. Also, you will note that I bring of the use of some creatures that are at least similar to Yalsimiri's into this chapter. _(Note to Fallon – yup, you guessed it!)_ Again, I know they weren't introduced into the books until later, but I needed a couple now, so I "adapted"' them (since I don't remember exactly what they looked like) and I will be borrowing them as needed. However, I promise to be nice to them and return them unharmed.

Unfortunately, I'm not planning on being so nice to our heroes. (Insert evil grin here.)

I appreciate your reviews and have tried to respond personally to all who have emails. I also am encouraged by the amount of traffic this story is getting.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one from Star Wars. It's probably just as well I don't, because I can't promise I would return **them** unharmed.

**The Princess and ****The Pirate****  
><strong>Chapter 3

The Yalsimiris and the Judge

The sight that met Han's eyes was unexpected to say the least. He had never known Luke to be anything less than confident in his force abilities – even when that confidence had been unwarranted. But since the events on Bespin and later on Endor, even Han had admitted in the existence of the force and when he was being completely honest, had come to rely first on Luke, and now to some extent, Leia's talent to use it for all of their good.

So when he saw Luke slumped forward over the arms of their captors looking dazed and confused, and noticed Leia was apparently afflicted similarly, he knew something was very, very wrong. On his feet now, and pushing away his own dizziness from the blow he had taken, he shook his guard's arm off and shuffled over to Leia.

"Leia? Honey?" he intoned softly. "What is it? What's wrong?" Leia turned her large brown eyes up to him and managed to focus. Emitting a small moan, she shook her head. "I don't know, Han, I, ah, it's as if, it just isn't there anymore." And Han was infuriated to note that tears had begun to pool in those lovely eyes. Turning toward the well dressed man who was obviously in charge; Han lunged toward him, ignoring his restraints.

"I'll kill you!" he shouted, "I'll tear you apart with my bare hands if she's hurt, if she doesn't recover. And what have you done to Luke?" For Luke was still looking stunned and almost seemed as if he had gone into shock. The man in question merely smiled at Han and seemed amused.

"I'm surprised, Captain," he declared, looking anything but surprised. "A man of your travels and obvious intelligence and you have never run across my pets before?" He looked behind Solo and the others and with a wave of his hand; indicated Han should take a look."

Han turned again, and made out something, or rather two somethings, in cages, behind held in the very near proximity of both Luke and Leia. Inside each cage was a white animal, resembling something that looked to be a cross between a feline and a badger. They were very bizarre in their looks and indeed, were quite ugly. They seemed very non violent in nature, and he watched doubtfully while they stretched and mewed, finding it hard to believe anything that harmless looking could cause any trouble. But, remembering the Ewoks, and how their appearance was completely deceptive, he decided anything was possible.

"So, Sith-slime," Han turned back to their captor, "what do your kittens have to do with us?"

"Oh, Captain. I do believe this is going to be far more entertaining than I had originally realized. Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. But first," and he turned toward Kenfer, and nodded for him to proceed. Kenfer in turn moved over to Leia and again trained his rifle on her, knowing that would keep Solo subdued. Han glared daggers at the man, but did not protest as his arms were grasped again and he was propelled ahead. Luke and Leia were assisted as the whole party began moving, since they were still disoriented and unsteady.

"As I was saying, Captain Solo, I do believe this is going to be a wonderful adventure for all concerned." Here the man stopped and laughed at what he obviously considered a very funny joke. "Well, maybe not for ALL concerned." And he held up a hand to forestall Han's questions. "All in good time. All in good time."

"But first things first. I am remiss I not introducing myself. I am the Honorable Judge Cadnell. You may refer to me has 'Your Honor,' or 'Judge.' Under no circumstances may you use my name."

Han took the bait like a fish on a hood. "So Caddie," he drawled in his most disrespectful tone. "Exactly what do we owe the 'pleasure' of your company to?" Judge Cadnell stopped abruptly, and turned to face Solo. "I will allow one warning, Captain. One only. Do not try me." And here he gave a pointed glance in Leia's direction.

Solo gulped and decided that for the moment, he had to cooperate. But he knew before this (whatever it was) was over; he would have it out with the pompous judge. "Sure, Judge," he grinned. "Whatever you say. So, why do you have those pets in a cage, and what are they doin' to Luke and my wife?" Han had thought about trying to pretend he wasn't involved with Leia and the Jedi, but figured there wasn't much point in that, since their captors obviously knew who they were.

At this the Judge resumed their pace and positively beamed at Solo. "I am pleased to share that information with you. These little beasties are called Yalsimiri's and they actually have very little going for them. They aren't particularly intelligent and are really very unattractive. In fact, their only redeeming characteristic is their unusual manipulation of the force."

Solo raised his eyebrows in surprise, wincing slightly as the movement reminded him of the blow he'd taken to his forehead earlier. "Those things can use the force?" and he didn't even try to keep the incredulous tone from coming through in his voice.

"Well," replied the Judge smugly. "Not exactly use it. More like control it. Really, all they do is damp it down. To absolutely nothing. Any force user within 20 yards of one loses his or her very awareness of the force. To someone like your Jedi brother-in-law here, it is like suddenly being struck deaf, dumb, blind and paralyzed all at once." Cadnell turned toward Luke and smirked. "Most amusing to watch, don't you agree?"

Here Leia had the misfortunate to stumble slightly, as her sluggish brain processed the words she barely heard and could not quite comprehend.. "No," she moaned again. "It will kill him." And she looked so defeated that Solo was once again brought to a killing rage. This time he didn't even try to control his actions. He simply wrenched free of his guards, and lowering his head, rammed the Judge between his shoulder blades, causing the dignified appearing man to fall flat on his face.

That was the last thing Solo knew for some time. Kenfer did not wait for instructions, but raised his rifle and bashed Han across the back of his head hard enough to break his skull. Fortunately, Solo had anticipated such a move and managed to dodge, but the blow still rendered him instantly unconscious and he crumpled in a heap, coming to a stop across the legs of the Judge who was half way to his feet.

The incensed Judge angrily shoved Solo off of his legs and onto his back, and got up. Glaring down at the insensate man at his feet, he deliberately raised his boot and brought it down hard on Han's right shoulder. He drove the heel of his boot into the joint and grunted in satisfaction as he felt the tendons and socket give way. "Do not test me again, Corellian scum," he said softly. "Do not test me."

Turning away from the injured man, and ignoring Leia's cries for him to stop, he led the way. One of the storm troopers hoisted Han over his shoulder and the entire party moved forward.

Luke took everything in, but to him it felt as if he was trapped under water, unable to see or hear clearly what was happening. He felt as if he was drowning and the loss of his force senses was overwhelming. Even when he'd found his Aunt and Uncle's bodies, he had not felt this paralyzed with grief. Unable to do anything but watch in horror as his best friend was brutalized, and listen to Leia's anguished cries, he did not, could not, resist as they were led to a ship, and prodded up the ramp.

They were all brought to a small hold in the lower portion of the ship, no larger than a bedroom, and though Luke and Leia's bonds were released as soon as the Yalsimiri cages were fastened to the wall, high above their heads, Han's were left on. Leia fell to her knees beside her still unconscious husband and pulled his head into her lap.

"What are we going to do, Luke? What are we going to do?"

Outside the ship, Judge Cadnell paused briefly to confer with Kenfer. "Did you contact her? Leave the message? I need to make sure she'll know where to send him." And if the Judge's demeanor had been evil when he was dealing with Solo and the Skywalker siblings, when he spoke of the mysterious "him," his face turned black with pure rage. "I need to know that he'll pay – for everything he did to me."

_(Author's Note: Chapter Four__ - called "I Want To Hurt Him" - is almost complete – I'm just finishing the editing and adding a bit to the end of it. Reviews will definitely encourage me to post more quickly.)_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one from Star Wars.

_Author's Note: I have company coming in for the weekend, so I can't promise another update for a few days. I'll to find a little time to work on the story, but no promises. However, this chapter is a bit longer. Enjoy and please review. _

The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 4

"I Want to Hurt Him"

Assured by Kenfer that everything had been arranged satisfactorily, Cadnell gave the order for the ship to lift off. They were careful to follow spaceport procedures, not that anyone was in a position to argue with them. The number of Storm Troopers and mercenaries he left behind guaranteed full cooperation on the ground.

Once the ship left the atmosphere, the pilot entered the coordinates for a short hyperspace hop. The ship left real space, traveled for about a standard hour and popped back into orbit above a small moon. After sending a coded transmission, the ship landed in a deserted area and no one approached them. Cadnell left the cockpit and headed to the hold, wanting to make certain his captives were still enjoying his hospitality.

Upon his entry, he observed Luke sitting in the corner, with his head resting on his knees. While the Jedi was still obviously in shock, his color was better and he was beginning to function somewhat normally again. He managed a glare in the Judge's direction, but said nothing.

Princess Leia was still seated on the floor with her back to the wall. She had Han's head in her lap, and was trying to ease the pressure on his arms from having them still pulled tightly behind him. Solo was beginning to come around, his eye lids were fluttering and he was frowning. Leia was gently rubbing his forehead and murmuring softly to him. Immediately when the door opened, she defiantly raised her head and demanded that he take the restraints off her husband.

Judge Cadnell just laughed as he squatted down beside her. "Looks to me like you're managing all right, Princess, without the force. Maybe it isn't all that strong in you after all." At that Luke finally spoke. "You're wrong. About a lot of things. The force is very strong in my family and you will eventually understand that." Even without his usual confidence, Luke's words revealed a strong sense of self, and as he spoke, he seemed to regain more and more of his composure.

Rising to his feet, he came over next to Leia and his injured brother-in-law, and ignoring the Judge, asked "How's he doing?" Leia, taking her signal from her brother responded. "You know Han. He has a hard head, so he'll be fine. But he's going to have a terrible headache."

Right on cue, Han's eyes fluttered open and he gazed around, his eyes glassy as he tried to remember why on earth he'd drank so much. That was the only reason he could figure for the monumental headache he felt. He tried to ask what had happened but the only sounds that came from his lips were a groan. The sound of his own weak voice revived him a little more and he tried to sit up.

"What? Wha's goin' on?" he managed to croak out. Pain exploded in his right shoulder as he tried to leverage himself up, and with a cry he laid his head back down. "Ah, what hit me? Who? Where are we. Leia! Leia, you okay?" and he managed to squint up at her, locating her face and trying to focus.

"Shh, easy Han. I'm fine, well more or less," she replied. "As for what's going on, you'll have to ask him." And she returned her glare to the Judge who was sitting back on his heels, taking it all in and chuckling. At the sound of his laugh, memory returned to the pilot and he groaned once more.

"Help me up, Luke, will you," he said after his eyes lit on his brother-in-law. "My shoulder's killing me." Luke knelt beside him and with Leia's help; they got him into a sitting position. After catching his breath, Han raised his head and looked at the Judge.

"So. You have us. Now what? What do you want with us? Or more to the point, who do you want to sell us to?" He couldn't see any point in beating around the bush. The sooner they knew who had a bounty out on them, the sooner negotiations could begin. Han just hoped it was him the Judge was gunning for; but he was terrified it might be Leia, since he'd seen the Storm Troopers. He knew there still many remnants of the Empire who wanted his wife dead.

Cadnell laughed out loud and got to his feet. "You do have some very high opinions of yourself, don't you Solo?" And shaking his head, he headed for the door, which was more than adequately guarded by three Storm Troopers and Kenfer. Stopping with his hand on the wall, he turned and this time his face had lost its amiable look. The man looked at them with contempt. "It isn't you I want at all. You're just bait. But then," and now his face resumed its more pleasant look, which somehow was even more frightening, "You should be used to that. Maybe Skywalker isn't, but the two of you should be."

"Wait!" Leia cried. "If you don't want us, who do you want? Don't you dare leave us here like this! My husband needs medical attention. We at least need water and food." But the door was already closing behind Cadnell, who retorted with a parting shot just before it closed. "Don't worry. You'll all be getting plenty of attention. Because the best way to hurt him is to hurt his friends. And I want very much to hurt him. Badly."

Han swallowed and leaned his aching head against Leia's shoulder. "I wonder who ticked him off. I don't think I'd want to be in his shoes, whoever it is."

Chewbacca hovered anxiously over the nervous Ensign as he plotted their course. Now that they had safely gotten away from Terlora, they had decided their best option was to return, on the far side of the planet, under the cover of night. They would land briefly in the area they had been in a few years before, and try to make contact with the broker who had sold them the supplies. A long discussion had taken place before coming to that conclusion, but since it had been obvious both Luke and Leia had trusted her, they felt she was their best chance at locating their friends.

Both Wedge and Chewbacca felt sure Luke and the others wouldn't be on planet by this time. Whoever had set out to kidnap them had had an enormous amount of resources available. And that most likely meant Empire involvement. That in turn, most likely made it Leia or Luke who was their primary target, thought they couldn't rule Han out either. The Corellian had legions of his own enemies, both in and out of the Empire.

Wedge entered the cockpit at that moment, having been checking their weapons systems, knowing how often the Falcon like to malfunction at the most inopportune times. He had instructed R2D2 and C3PO to plug into the Falcon's computers and run a full diagnostic. He wasn't going to land until he was sure all systems were a go.

"Ensign Thorenson," he asked. "Do you have our course plotted in?" The young man looked up at Wedge, and then glanced away. He was very nervous around the heroes of the Rebellion, and had hardly been able to believe they had asked him to be a part of this mission. He knew if they were aware of his record, they would have never have wanted him along.

"Ah, yes, Sir, Commander; um, General Antilles, that is." The kid blushed and glanced away at the look Wedge shot him. "I'm not a General anymore, kid. Relax. No one is going to bite. Well," and Wedge couldn't resist shooting a look at the Wookie. "Probably no one is." Chewie bared his teeth and hooted, telling Wedge to stop scaring the kid.

Ensign Thorenson managed to nod, and tried not to show his fear of the giant Wookie. He knew it (he kept forgetting he was supposed to think of the creature as a he, not an "it") was as sentient has he himself was, and he really was trying to overcome his fear of non-humans. But having been raised on a world that was loyal to the Empire until the bitter end, and having only become a part of the Rebellion at the conclusion of the war, he still struggled with the whole concept. However, he'd been in Chewbacca's company enough to feel fairly confident he wasn't going to be his next meal. Not yet at least. He still wasn't sure about his fate if they ever learned about his true history.

"Course laid in sir. Ready to engage on your order." Thoreson was also unfailingly military in his bearing, a fact which had not been lost on Captain Solo, who had lost no opportunity to rib the kid about it, and try to get him to loosen up. The Ensign genuinely liked Solo, another detail that he found himself surprised by.

Captain Antilles checked over the Navigation Board and called back on the intercom. "CP3O? Is she working?" he asked simply, knowing that anytime he had a conversation with the Protocol Droid – simple was better. Of course, the answer was anything but simple. However, after a long sigh and a threat by Chewbacca to tear the golden droid apart if he didn't stay on task, Wedge was finally confident the Falcon was ready. As ready has Han's recalcitrant ship ever was, at least.

"Take her in," he told the Ensign, laying his hand on his shoulder. "Slow and quiet. Let's try not to attract any attention."

Leia looked at her husband after Judge Cadnell left the hold. "How are you doing, Han?" she asked. "And don't bother trying to lie to me; I may not have the force right now, but I can still see you." Han grinned ruefully; lying had been exactly what he'd had in mind. "Ah, I'm ok Leia. My head hurts, and so does my shoulder. What happened anyway? I don't remember anything besides that creep trying to trip you or something."

Leia sighed. "He didn't trip me Han, I stumbled. It was just such a shock to be without the force and I wasn't paying attention to where my feet went. But you went after him anyway. Kenfer knocked you out and that bastard, Cadnell, kicked you in your shoulder. How is it?"

Han tried to flex it and immediately decided that wasn't a good idea. It was difficult at best, with his arms still pulled behind him. Try as he might, he could not relieve the pressure on his shoulder. His wrist stung too, and he could feel the open wound where the blaster had scorched him. But since he figured Leia had forgotten about that, he didn't bring it up.

"Well, it don't feel too good, that's for sure. But I'll live." Han looked around where they were being held, squinting into the dark corners. "You two look around at all? Anything in here we can use?"

Luke looked surprised at first, then slightly abashed. "Nope, Han. I've just been sitting here, feeling sorry for myself I guess. But I'll look now." The Jedi, though he certainly didn't feel much like one at the moment, got up from beside Solo and started looking around, poking into corners. Leia glanced up, but didn't leave Han's side.

"Nothing much here, really. There's an old table, but it's too heavy for me to take apart – without the force, anyway. If we could get the bolts loosened, then we could maybe use it…" Luke's voice trailed off as he tried, alternately pulling and banging on the table, trying to no avail to loosen the pieces. "Nothing. I can't get it; this is just so, so damn frustrating!" and Luke slammed his hand into the recalcitrant table.

At that Leia glanced apologetically at her husband, who had been resting comfortably against her, and got up to go over to Luke. She reached her hand up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "It's ok Luke. We'll figure something out. We always do, you know."

Han watched the two of them and was glad they had each other. He had no idea how it must feel to suddenly lose the kind of power they were used to wielding, but figured it must feel pretty bad. He shifted around, both to see them a little better and to try and get a bit more comfortable. As he did so, he felt something in his cargo pants pocket.

"Hey!" he called. "I forgot. When those goons searched me, they missed the little present you got me last night, Leia." And he shot them his lopsided grin, very pleased with himself. "What present, Han?" Luke asked. "I didn't see anything last night. You two disappeared without even saying hey when you got back from dinner." Luke gave them a mock frown, well aware of where they had been, and most likely what they had been doing.

The Solos had not taken the time the night before to show anyone their purchases; instead they had been very intent on getting back to their cabin on the Falcon for a little quality alone-time. Being alone together was a precious commodity for them, and they tried to take advantage of any situation that presented itself.

Solo's frown was back as he glowered at his now grinning brother-in-law. "Yeah, well, don't you worry 'bout where we were last night. But check out Leia's present." Leia looked momentarily confused, but came back over and slipped her small hand into Han's pocket when he nodded at her. Smiling as her fingers closed over the small vibroblade, she pulled it out and displayed it triumphantly for Luke to see.

"I'd forgotten!" she crowed. "These were new, and I got one for Han last night; I thought it might replace the one he lost last time we were here. I can't believe they missed it!" Luke came over and took it in his hand, turning it over and examining it. "I can see why." He held it up to the little bit of light coming in, squinting to get a better look. Flicking it on, he swished it around a bit. "It looks more like a pencil than a knife." He grinned one more time, and then went back over to the table. It was slow going, but he managed to eventually loosen 3 of the 4 bolts holding the first leg in place. As he was working on the fourth, they heard sounds in the corridor.

Luke quickly slipped the little knife into his pocket and sat back down next to his sister. The three of them managed to look less hopeful than they felt, as the door opened. Luke wished he'd had time to get the table leg completely off; he knew their opportunities for escape were likely to be few. But he could be patient. That much he could handle, even without the use of the force. He just hoped his much more impetuous friend could do the same.

All three looked up when Kenfer entered. "On your feet, Solo. The Judge wants to see you. Now!" He stepped forward as Han hesitated. At Kenfer's threatening movement Luke jumped up and helped the Corellian stand, steadying him as he swayed a bit. Leia also came to her feet, managing to look angry and graceful at once. Kenfer motioned 3 guards into the small room. Two roughly grabbed Solo and propelled him forward. The third aimed his rifle at the Princess, stopping her progress when she would have accompanied her husband.

"Where are you taking him?" she demanded. "None of your business, little one. Now shut up, before I decided to ignore my orders to treat you like a lady." Kenfer was abrupt and rude with his reply.

Luke had been quietly biding his time, staying back slightly, and when both Kenfer and the guard's attention were on Leia, as Han was being dragged out the door, he made his move.

He jumped forward, slamming his fist into the side of the guard's head. At the same time, Leia grabbed Kenfer's arm and spun him around. However, before they could complete their bid for freedom, two more guards burst into the already crowded room. One raised his pistol, pointed it at Leia, and pulled the trigger, even as Han screamed out a warning to her. Luke whirled again, intent on following through with a round house kick, but the other soldier hit him across his back, slamming him face first into the bulkhead. His head glanced off a pipe and he slipped to the floor and lay motionless.

Han was like a wild thing. He wrenched away from his guards and lunged toward Leia as she crumpled soundlessly to the floor. He had no idea if the weapon had been set on stun or kill, since it was a type he'd never seen before. But before he could reach his unmoving wife, he was yanked backwards and hauled out into the corridor. The last sight he saw was Luke beginning to stir, and crawling over to his sister.

It was hours later that the door opened again. A man barely recognizable as Han Solo was heaved in through the door and left in the middle of the room. The door slammed without a word being said. Luke looked up from where he was looking after Leia and whispered, "Oh no. Han, what have they done to you?"

_Little bit of an evil cliffie, there, I know. Sorry! (Not really.) I'll try to update soon, but I do have company this weekend, so it may be a few days. I'll hurry, I promise_


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing and make no money from anything.

Sorry for the delay. Work has been crazy busy as has my home life. I just haven't had a chance to get back to this. I know this is a rather short chapter, but maybe it will at least help a little.

More to come soon.

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The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 5

Now What?

Luke eased Leia to the floor. She had been hit with a heavy stun and was just barely coming out of it. He knew she should be okay, but she would not be feeling good at all once she fully regained consciousness. However, his concern for her diminished as he gently turned Solo over onto his back and tried to determine the extent of the damage the pilot had taken.

Han's face was cut and bruised; the obvious results of a severe beating were evident in his swollen right eye and the blood that was caked below his nose and mouth. As Luke tried to assess the damage, the door to their cell opened again and the Judge entered.

"Ah, I see you are concerned for the Captain. How admirable. I suppose you are wondering what happened to him?" Cadnell turned to the door and motioned for someone to enter. A moment later, the inevitable guards came in, rifles at the ready, followed by a medic and a technician, carrying some kind of video equipment.

"Please see to the Princess first," he instructed and the medic dropped down beside her. Checking her vitals, he administered a hypo spray. "That should take care of her. Her vitals are stable, strong even. This will ease her way back to full wakefulness in about 15 minutes and dull her headache to some degree." Unwrapping a package, he set some containers with drinking water next to her, as well as some ration bars. The medic then glanced again at the Judge for permission, and turned toward Solo.

Running the portable med-i-scan over his prone body, he shook his head. "They worked him over pretty good, Judge. How much do you want me to do?" The Judge peered over the man's shoulder. "Anything life threatening?"

A moment more of the scanning and the medic looked up again. "Could be. He's got some major bruising to a couple of his internal organs. Should run the regenerator at least. He probably should have a Bacta treatment, but…." his voice trailed off as the Judge frowned.

The Judge nodded. "Use the regenerator and take care of anything life threatening. I may still need him. No pain control for any of them." Turning toward Luke and a slowly reviving Leia, as the medic began his treatment of Solo, he smiled as if they were discussing the weather.

"You probably think I am just a cruel man, out to inflict pain and suffering. Not in the least. I don't particularly enjoy that sort of thing, though there are those who do, I know." The Judge frowned again, this time in the direction of Kenfer. "So I am sorry you are all suffering, but none of you would have had to, except the Captain here, at least not yet. You simply need to stop fighting and trying to escape and no one else needs be hurt. Except as a demonstration, of course."

"Mirky," he turned toward the technician, who was standing by with his video equipment still untouched. "Please set things up." The technician moved to a corner of the cell and began assembling various parts, setting it all on a small table he unfolded.

Turning back toward the captives, Judge Cadnell continued. "I needed something to send to him." The dark tone of his voice left little doubt the Judge was referring to whoever was the target of his wrath. "Since I know you rebels all show admirable concern for one another, I decided the most expedient way to hurry him here was to show him what I am capable of."

"All ready, Mirk?" he checked with the man now standing quietly beside his video paraphernalia. The young man looked up nervously and nodded. "Yes, sir. The feed should be adequate for your purposes, though it isn't top quality of course. Shall I begin?"

The Judge nodded. "In just moment." Looking at Luke again he added, "And since I believe Captain Solo to be of some importance to him, I elected to start there. However, if that does not bring him here, I will not hesitate to use both of you. The Princess will be next. Even immoral criminals such has he may respond to a woman in distress."

Nodding at Mirky, the Judge once again headed for the door. "As soon as Umbia is finished treating the Captain, show them the video. Leave it on continuous loop. Solo may find it interesting as well. It will at least keep him entertained when he wakes up." Leaving Kenfer and the other guards behind, the Judge left.

Leia had come to almost full wakefulness on the Judge's last words. Opening her eyes, she looked around in confusion. "Han?" she whispered, and turned toward Luke as he hurried over to her. "He's here Leia, he's being taken care of. How are you feeling? Does your head hurt much?" Luke helped his sister into a sitting position and offered her some water. She slipped slowly, gradually looking around and getting her bearings.

"It's not too bad Luke. What happened?" she was still confused by the lingering effects of the stun. Before he could answer her, her eyes lit on her husband's battered body and she pushed Luke's hands aside, dropping the water bottle to the floor. With strength she shouldn't have had yet, she pushed herself to her feet and hurried to Han's side.

"Han!" she cried, gently reaching her hand out and stroking his forehead. "What did they do to you?" Glaring at the medic now, her tone changed. "What happened? Who did this? Help him!" she demanded.

The young man, Umbia, was startled. He was unused to conversation, and rarely talked to anyone except his master, the Judge. Looking to Mirky for inspiration, he gulped and stuttered. "I, ah, I didn't do anything. I, I'm supposed to help him. Please, I don't know anything. It was necessary; the Judge said it was necessary." He ducked his head, trying to avoid the flashing eyes of the now angry Princess. "Pl…, please, I need to finish his treatment now."

Leia reluctantly backed away, if only slightly and looked to her brother for answers. "I don't know for sure what happened, Leia, but I think we'll probably find out more than we want to know when we watch the video." Luke nodded grimly toward the technician who was standing in the corner, waiting for the moment to come when he was to start the show. "All I know is we're the bait, and they started with Han."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money. I just enjoy playing with the Star Wars folks now and again.**

_**Author's note: **__I've stayed up way too late finishing this chapter. Hopefully I can get a couple more chapters written and posted this weekend – I actually have a little time off. _

_And now it is morning and I just re-read this chapter. I'm reposting it, correcting a few errors I found. Obviously I shouldn't post when I'm so tired!_

_Here's a special s__hout out to everyone who has reviewed: _

_T__otalstarwarsfangirl-332, Darkmatterfangirl, Darkrose2006, Fallon, GunslingerHan, sachariah (hmmn – mabe you're right – maybe it is Lando the bad guy is after. Or maybe not; all will be revealed sooner or later), MonMemento, friend2friend, Darth Jayne, and I love dance. Your reviews are appreciated and inspire me to write faster. I also am grateful for the traffic the story is getting. _

_I upped the rating to "M" just to be safe. Rating is for mild language and some violence. I hope you all enjoy._

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The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 6

**The Video**

Wedge and Chewbacca skillfully brought the YT1300 in for a graceful landing. Ensign Thorenson was impressed as always with the abilities of the rebels; where he had come from, people aspired to such talents, but few possessed them. These rebels seemed born with them. And on reflection, as he watched Wedge Antilles make a few minute adjustments and land the famous ship without so much as a bump, he thought perhaps they had been born to be rebels.

Zeeli Thorenson knew he had not. He had been born in a relatively high class family and was used to servants, and the best of everything. He had never considered a life of rebellion in any way, ignoring the whole problem with the Alliance, hoping it would simply disappear and leave him and his family alone. But as so often happened when the Empire was involved, that was not to be his fate. As the ship was coming in for a landing, he thought back to his home.

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One afternoon he had been sitting on his favorite outside patio, talking with his younger sister, Cessenie. With no warning, Storm Troopers had burst into their midst and began accusing his sister of being a traitor. To Zeeli's horror, after a few minutes of muted protest, she had suddenly flung her head back proudly and hissed at the Colonel in charge. "And what if I am?" she had pointed a finger at the man. "I'd certainly be a better human being than you are."

The Colonel had ordered her taken into custody, just has their parents had arrived home. His father had tried to defend his daughter, and had earned a quick death for his efforts. Zeeli had run to his mother, intent on getting her away if at all possible. He was dumbstruck with the idea that Cessenie might be involved in such a thing. But before he could reach his remaining parent, he had been halted by the sight of the Colonel, pointing his rifle first at his sister, then his mother, bringing them both down. Before his sister's body had hit the ground, the Colonel had turned to him.

"You must choose now, choose whom you will serve." Zeeli was horrified, and frozen with fear and indecision. He wanted to be brave and face death boldly and courageously, as his family had. But he was not brave. After a brief moment, he hung his head and found himself agreeing to become part of the Empire's vast army.

That service had only lasted a short time. He had quickly surrendered to the Rebels at his first opportunity and had gradually been absorbed into their service. He alone knew of his cowardice, and he had never become close with anyone, holding this thoughts and feelings in, hidden behind a mask of military bearing and indifference.

When Han Solo had invited him along on this mission, he had been astonished. But he had quickly accepted, knowing that perhaps his life might improve if he could somehow gain an understanding of what drove the rebels in their idealistic pursuit of justice. Maybe if he just understood, he would somehow be able to avenge the deaths of his parents and sister.

XXXXXXX

All of these thoughts ran through his mind in a few seconds. Zeeli nodded when Antilles gave him the landing codes and quickly entered the numbers. A few minutes later and they were safely settled.

Chewbacca ran a quick scan then told Wedge it all seemed clear. Instructing Zeeli to stay with the ship, the Wookie and Antilles gathered their supplies and left the Falcon, heading for a hill top where they were planning to try to contact the woman Leia had been working with.

It was only a short hike before they were within range. Wedge dialed in the sequence and was rewarded with her familiar voice on the other end of his comlink.

"Can I help you, Captain Antilles? I've been expecting your call."

XXXXXX

Umbia carefully finished running the scan over a still unconscious Han Solo. Glancing nervously up at the Princess who was hovering over him, watching his every move he gulped slightly. 'Ah, I need to get something out of my bag, please um, excuse me." Leia ignored him and snatched up the scanner, quickly reading through it, frowning more with each injury it cataloged. Ducking his head, the medic avoided her as much as possible and carefully removed the tool he needed.

Started, he jumped a little when Leia none to gently took it away from him. "I'll do it," her voice brooked no argument. Ignoring his sputtering protest, Leia turned to her husband. "Help me Luke. Hold him up a little, while I run the regenerator." Luke eased his way behind Han and pulled him into a half sitting position, holding him partially upright, bracing himself against the wall. "How bad is it, Leia?"

Her lips pursed tightly, Leia's voice was low and furious. "Bad. He's got some broken ribs, and his left kidney is badly bruised. He has some internal bleeding and damage to his spleen. I don't know what they hit him with, but they were brutal." Leia fought back angry tears as she began treating the worst of his injuries. "His shoulder is dislocated, and he has tendon damage." Luke reached a hand up and gently patted her arm. "He'll be okay, Leia. You know he will. He always is."

Leia kept up with the treatment, but turned eyes that were burning with fury to her brother. "That's just the problem, Luke. _**He always is**__._ _**Always**_ hurt. _**Always**_ putting himself in harm's way. _**Always**_ taking the brunt of things. _**Always**_. He can never catch a break. When will it ever end?"

Luke had no answer. He just gripped his friend a little tighter. Leia worked the regenerator and watched as her husband gradually began responding. Knowing his first conscious thoughts would be of her she positioned herself directly in front of his face. As his eyes gradually opened, she made herself relax and smiled at him.

Han Solo was aware of a few things simultaneously. First and foremost, he really hurt. All over. And he was really getting tired of waking up in pain. Second, he could feel the annoying sensation of a regenerator working on his insides. It felt like a bee was buzzing around in his belly and he didn't like it much. Third-and this was the only good part, Leia's lovely face was directly in front of him and though she looked extremely tense, she was offering him a tight smile. "Yes, Han," her voice was the one she used whenever she was trying to pacify him. "I'm fine. Luke's fine. We're all fine; except you of course."

Han managed a wan smile of his own. "Ah, well, glad to see things are going as well as always then." Glancing around a little, noticing that he was back in the cell and seeing the two men in with them, he stage whispered. "Who are these clowns?"

"Oh, them?" Luke asked from behind him. "I guess they're the entertainment. At least one of them is. That guy," he indicated the medic who was looking on uncertainly, "is supposed to be treating you. But we figured you'd like us better." Han gave the medic a measured look, and then ignored him. "What about him?" indicating the technician.

"That's Mirky," Leia pushed a little harder with the medical device, working it over his belly, following the instructions the regenerator was emitting. Ignoring Han's little grunt of pain, she continued. "He's going to show us a movie. Soon as we're finished with you."

Han leaned his head back, not wanting to talk at the moment. His insides suddenly felt like they were on fire and he hated for Leia to see him in pain. Gingerly he shifted around a little, wincing as his shoulder pulsed and throbbed again. Closing his eyes and reaching his left hand up, he rubbed it carefully, feeling the joint, trying to assess the damage. "How bad?" he asked, not especially looking forward to the answer, but needing to know.

Leia sighed again, getting tired of having to hear these details over and over. "You've got some internal damage Han, broken ribs and bad bruising. Some bleeding. And you won't be using your arm much for awhile. We can try to put it back in the socket, but I'm afraid that won't help all that much and it would hurt like hell."

"Not really in favor of that," Han responded, opening his eyes and looking at Leia. He saw her anxious expression and the pinched look around her mouth. Dropping his hand from his shoulder, he gently cupped her chin. "Hey. Stop worrying. I'll be fine; you know I will. We'll get out of this."

Leia stopped for a brief moment, sharing a look with the Pirate she loved. "You're right Han, you'll be okay. And yes, we'll get out of this. And someone will pay." She went back to the regenerator, but not before glaring once again at both the medic and the video tech.

"Hey Luke," Han managed a half-hearted parody of his lopsided grin. "Did you hear that? She said I was right. That doesn't happen too often. Ooofff, hey, easy there, sweetheart." Leia's tiny jab to his chest let him know his comment had not gone unnoticed.

Leia took her time, making sure she did as much for her injured husband as she possibly could. Finishing the treatment on his internal injuries, she turned her attention to his shoulder. The medic tried to intervene, stating that the Judge had instructed him to treat only the life threatening injuries. But he quickly backed down at the look Luke gave him. Finished with his shoulder, she pushed the sleeve up on Han's wrist.

Han sucked the air in through his teeth, glancing down at his wrist. "Ah, shit, that hurts." His wrist was red and raw, and oozing with infection. "You just can't do anything half way, can you, Nerfherder?" Leia pushed the hair back from her face. "I thought you said it was just a graze? This is a bad burn, I can see bone."

"Ah, well, that," Han was having trouble keeping his voice even. "It **was** just a graze. Started out that way anyway. Didn't end up that way." At Leia's confused looked, Han replied. "Kenfer. Thought he'd be cute and nailed it again when he was workin' me over."

All was quiet for a few minutes, as Leia rummaged through Umbia's bag. She came up with some bandages and antibiotic cream. The medic, thoroughly cowed by this time, had scooted over to the far side of the cell and was standing with his back turned to them.

Han glanced over the video tech as he bent over his equipment, making sure it was ready. "Luke," he asked quietly. "You still got my 'pen'?" Luke nodded, "Yeah. Got it handy. While you were gone, I got the table leg completely loose. It's ready if we get a chance to use it."

Han nodded. "Good. Hey, Mrs. Solo," he turned his attention back to his wife. "You're an awfully pretty nurse, you know? Maybe I'll get hurt more often, just so you'll be nice to me." He watched as she carefully cleaned the badly infected wound, trying not to cry out as she worked on it.

Leia just shook her head, finishing with the bandaging. Ripping a few pieces of the remaining cloths she was using for the dressing to his wrist she fashioned a sling. As she eased his arm into it, she couldn't help but hear his grunts of pain. Replying in kind, trying to help take Han's mind off the misery she knew it was causing him, she quipped her response. "I don't think so. If you get hurt again, I'm going to be very 'un-nice' to you. I'd like you in one piece for once. It's more fun to play with you when you're not moaning in agony all the time."

"But you do like making me moan, right?" Han couldn't stop the mischievous retort, and then grunted as Luke smacked him lightly on his good shoulder. "Hey, knock it off. That's my sister you're talking to."

Mirky choose that moment to stand up, and walk over to them. "I believe the treatment is as complete as it needs to be. Cease and desist." When Leia was going to protest, he stopped her by taking a small blaster from his pocket and aiming at Solo. He had seen how well that particular maneuver had worked to control the pilot, and since he was more intimidated by the feisty Alderanian Princess than the others, he had no qualms about using the same ploy to gain her cooperation.

"You will all move to the back wall now. And watch the video. My instructions are to start it playing, leaving it on continuous loop."

Mirky waiting until they had moved to the end of the cell, then, keeping his pistol trained on them, leaned over and punched a button. "Umbia," he called, never taking his eyes off the prisoners. "Open the door." Umbia was all too happy to leave. Gathering his medical equipment and supplies up, he covered the key pad with one hand and entered the code. The door slid open and he exited, Mirky right behind him.

As soon as they were both gone, the lights in the cell dimmed and the video began playing. Leia leaned her head on Han's good arm, and tried to keep the tears from coming as she watched what had been done to her husband.

Luke's anger grew with each vicious punch he saw his brother-in-law take. Han watched for awhile, and then closed his eyes. He didn't really need the visual to be reminded of what had happened. As he heard the sounds of the beating, he felt like it was taking place all over again.

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Han had been dragged from the cell, and taken to a room, bare of anything except some chains, dangling from the ceiling. With no ceremony, the guards removed the binders from his wrists, unbuttoned his shirt and took it off him, and replaced the stun cuffs with the shackles on the ends of the chains. One of the guards hit a button on the wall, and the chains were pulled upward, drawing Han's arms over his head.

The movement to his injured shoulder was excruciating, but he kept his mouth closed, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. Once his arms were stretched taut, the guards left the room, and Solo was left to wonder what was going to happen next. Though he wasn't excited about the prospect of a beating, he was mostly concerned for his wife and for Luke; not knowing what their fate had been.

He was left to speculate much longer than he wanted, but finally the door opened, and Kenfer, along with two other men entered. "Hope you haven't been too uncomfortable, Solo," Kenfer sneered. "We had to get the video equipment up and running." He looked at a small camera in the ceiling, and saluted. Then, with no warning, he took two strides in Han's direction and punched him hard, in the stomach.

Han would have doubled over with the sudden pain, but the chains kept him upright. All the air rushed out of his lungs, keeping him from making any noise, except for the sound of his gasping. From then on, it was a simple beating – simple if you weren't the one receiving it, that is. Kenfer delighted in hitting the bound man, and when he wasn't satisfied with the pain his fists were inflicting, he took a small club from the box of weapons one of the other men had brought in, and used it to brutally beat Solo.

Solo lost track of the number of times he was hit. He heard and felt ribs crack and bones snap. Two blows to his back had him reeling, as agony flared along his kidneys. Kenfer turned the club around and used the heavier end to batter at his already injured shoulder, and when he tired of that, returning to using his fists.

As Solo knew he was about to lose consciousness, and welcomed the idea, Kenfer had suddenly stopped. Peering at the blood that was trickling from his wrist, a result of the earlier blaster wound, he smiled; a sick, evil smile.

"Release him," he barked at one of the guards. A touch of a button and the cuffs holding Han's wrists abruptly snapped open and Solo crumpled in a heap to the floor. Using his foot, Kenfer pushed him over on his back. "Don't want you having it too easy, now. The Judge wants me to make a point for him." Turning toward the camera, he laughed. "If you value your friend's life at all, you'd better hurry. This is only the beginning."

Taking out his blaster, he aimed it carefully at Solo's right wrist. Narrowing the beam, he discharged it, sweeping it across Han's arm, obliterating the earlier wound and holding it there until the skin blistered and peeled, turning black and pulling away from the bone." Finally satisfied, as Solo's tense body went slack, he stopped.

"Put his shirt back on him, and return him to his cell." Kenfer turned on his heel and left the room. "And be quick about it. I have a report to make to the Judge, and he'll want to see the others right away. I want Solo back in with them before he gets there."

XXXXXX

As the first loop of the video completed, Han gingerly slid his left arm around his shaken wife and pulled her a little closer to his side. "Shh, hon," he whispered, "It's okay. You fixed me up good. Hardly hurts at all now." They all knew he was lying, but neither Leia nor Luke corrected him.

It was obvious Solo had been in shock when he firs woke up, and the pain had been kept somewhat at bay while he was being treated. But seeing and hearing the video seemed to reawaken every nerve cell, and he was suddenly all too aware of every injury. But he had no desire for Leia to know how bad it was.

As the video started again, Leia buried her face in his shirt front. "I can't watch it again." They all grew silent, trying to avert their eyes, wanting to look anywhere but at the screen. Leia trembled as the sounds of the beating seemed to take over the entire room.

Both she and Luke looked up, then at Han as the groans they heard coming from the video were suddenly more vivid than ever. Realizing that he was finally losing his tight control, and that the groans she heard were issuing from his pale lips, she knew she'd have to get it together. He needed her.

Easing him down from the sitting position he'd been in, she pulled his head into her lap. Luke got the bottles of water and helped her bathe Han's hot face. They studiously ignored the video, and concentrated instead on the man who was now shaking and shuddering with pain and fever.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money. I just enjoy playing with the Star Wars folks now and again.**

**Author's note:** _So sorry for the delay. I had hoped to write a lot last weekend but life has a way of interfering. Unfortunately, I lost a family friend and a cousin to death within the last 6 days and somehow I just was not in the correct mind-set to write. But I __**will**__ finish this story; it may just take me a bit to get back into the grove. Hopefully this chapter will help even if it is short._

_I'm taking the rating back down to a "T" based on your comments. I may even incorporate some of your ideas – read and see! _

_Reviews are welcome and perhaps more encouraging now than ever. Thanks for all who are following this story. I'd love to see the reviews beat my personal high of my other stories. _

_Now on to Chapter 7._

**XXXXXXXXX **

The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 7

The Set Up

Wedge Antilles raised his eyebrows and looked at his Wookie companion. "Expecting us?" he mouthed. Chewbacca moaned slightly and shook his head. _"I don't like it Wedge,"_ he said. _"But we don't have another choice right now. We have to see what she knows."_

"Agreed," Wedge nodded. "Kalena? Can we meet somewhere secure?" He decided to keep the communications short; as he was sure they could expect to be monitored.

The voice on the other end sounded unsure, but did not hesitate. "Yes. Do you know the Broughtin Cantina? Not the one behind the Administration building, the one on Guntar Avenue?"

Wedged looked at Chewbacca for confirmation. Chewie nodded—he had had drinks there with Han during one of the more boring negotiating sessions that Solo had ducked out of. "I know where it is. Meet us there in 90 minutes. Antilles out."

Wedge did not wait for her response, wanting to keep the transmission as short as possible. "Let's go back and get Zeeli. He can watch our backs; I don't think he ever attended any of the meetings, did he? No one should have any idea he's with us, as long as he doesn't dress in that confounded uniform he likes so much." Chewbacca thought for moment and then shook his massive head_. "No, he stayed with the ship. He isn't very social." _

Upon return to the Falcon, Wedge gave Zeeli his new orders. If he noticed the young man's hesitation, he did not comment on it. He waited until the Ensign came out of his quarters, dressed more appropriately and looking decidedly uncomfortable in his "civvies." Choosing to travel light, they made sure they had plenty of ammunition and extra hold out blasters. Leaving specific instructions with those staying with the ship, the three headed out, followed 20 minutes later by a strike team. Wedge and Chewbacca set a fast pace and they arrived 10 minutes before their appointed time.

"You hang back," Captain Antilles was all business now, Zeeli noted. "Our contact is a woman about your age. She's not very tall, probably 5'3" or 5'4". She's very beautiful, with large green eyes. But you'll know for sure it's her by her hair. It's really, really long, almost to her knees. Very dark black and curly."

"What if she cuts it, or dies it another color?" Ensign Thorenson wanted to know. "Seems that would be an easy way to disguise herself if she wanted to." Chewbacca growled the response_. "No, she is Mupallion. All females from her world are required to never cut their hair or change its color. They literally stop being Mupallion and become another race entirely if they were to do so." _

"Trust me. She would rather die than lose her racial identify," Wedge clarified. "You won't be able to miss her. If you see us with anyone else, call the strike team in. Otherwise, try to stay close enough to monitor our conversation. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the one making the decisions. Can you handle it?"

Zeeli took his time and considered the question in his serious way. "I can, Captain. I will. I won't let you down." Here he lowered his head slightly, thinking of how he had let his family down. He was determined not to fail again. Wedge clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "I knew we could count on you. Now hang back a few minutes; then follow us in. and try not to look quite so, so—well, so damn young! Okay?" And with a grin, Wedge shook the Ensign's hand, and then he and Chewbacca took off, melting into the crowd and soon disappearing from sight.

XXXXXX

Han Solo couldn't quite remember where he was or why he hurt so badly. He could hear himself groaning and hated the sound, but could not seem to stop. He only relaxed when he felt Leia's small but strong hands on his skin, and heard her voice, imploring him to be still. He tried, but soon was lost to his delirium again.

Leia turned worried eyes to Luke. "Luke," she said. "We need help. He's burning up. I'm afraid the regenerator didn't work properly. If the infection in his arm gets into his blood stream. . ." her voice trailed off.

Luke thought for moment, and with a look of resolve in his eyes, he got up. Eyeing the Yalsimiris' cages above them, he thought for a moment. "Leia," he said, turning toward the table he had taken apart to get a leg loose, "If I stand this table on its end, and use the leg I took off it, I might be able to disable those critters. But you'll need to hold the table. It's going to be heavy and it might take me while. I don't want to risk any noise. Do you think you can hold it up? With my weight on it too?"

Leia's first reaction was that of course she could hold it up; she could do anything she needed to in order to get help for her husband. But she was smart enough to give the problem sufficient thought before responding. Easing Han's head onto the floor, she walked over to the table. Lifting it slightly, she noted it was quite heavy. But that would also work in their favor, as it would be able to hold Luke up. "It would be a lot easier if we could lean it against the wall, but that won't work. The fronts of those cages are too far out in the room. It's going to have to stand on its own, isn't it?"

Luke came over next to her and together they managed to stand the table on its edge. Pulling the leg he had loosened previously completely off, he looked at Leia. "Ready?" Luke had no doubt she would succeed in holding her own. Leia was the strongest woman he knew; if not in physical strength, she certainly was in courage and willpower.

The Princess of Alderan, now looking anything but royal, with her shirt and pants ripped; dirt on her face and blood on her hands, nodded. Bracing herself, she took hold of the table and steadied it. "Go ahead. Hurry as much as you can, and Luke? If you have to kill them, do it quickly, all right?" Though Leia knew the creatures were keeping both she and her brother from their force abilities, nevertheless, she did not enjoy senseless killing.

Luke nodded grimly and lightly hopped up on the table. Taking a moment to balance himself, he slowly stood, reaching his left hand up and grasping the cage to steady himself. Tucking the table leg under his left arm was difficult while holding on, but not impossible. With his right hand, he started feeling around the front of the nearest cage, hoping the door would not be locked. It wasn't; obviously the Judge had not counted on any of the rebels getting close enough to open the door.

Carefully, the Jedi Knight opened the door and reached in. He felt the fur of the little creature and pulled it closer to him. The animal was very trusting, since it had never been hurt by a human. "Now comes the tricky part," Luke glanced down at his sister. She was holding on tightly, but so far had not even broken a sweat. "Just do what you have to Luke." Leia turned her head away, not particularly wanting to watch. Han had always teased her about this particular trait.

"_Why is it honey that you can blast a storm trooper right out of existence without even flinching, but can't stand to watch a chukker being butchered?" He always shook his head, amused at her squeamishness around animals. Leia concentrated on all the other little inconsistencies, the things Han loved to tease her about, rather than the sounds she heard above her head. _

Luke, doing his best to keep his balance, grabbed the table leg, and with a swift blow, knocked the animal on its head. Hoping he hadn't killed it, he wasted no more time thinking about it. "Leia, I'm coming down. We'll have to move the table before I can get the other one. Let me just shut the cage."

Jumping down, they quickly readjusted the table and repeated the entire maneuver. As Luke disabled the second Yalsimiri, both he and Leia were rewarded with a sudden return of the force. It was like having all of their senses restored at once and was almost overwhelming. Grinning down at his sister, Luke had to restrain from issuing a victory cry.

It was at that exact moment they heard voices in the hall. "Hurry!" Leia hissed. Luke quickly shut the door to the second cage, hoping the animals would simply appear to be sleeping. Hopping to the ground, they gently lowered the table to the floor. Luke barely had time to prop the table leg up, using the force to hold it in place so it wouldn't fall on the floor, before the cell door started to open. He leaned nonchalantly against the table, being careful to keep his expression subdued, not to appear too triumphant.

Leia was too far away to make it back to Han, so she made a show of going toward far end of the cell, where the ration bars were. Just as the door opened, Han's eyes flew open. Looking into the eyes of his new number one enemy, Judge Cadnell, he saw something that terrified him.

"She's next," the Judge wasted no time. "Take her." Both Luke and Han shouted "No!" Luke sprinted across the floor intent on intervening. And Han pulled himself up, somehow gaining his feet, reaching out with his left hand to steady himself on the wall. "No, Judge," Solo's eyes were bright with fever, and they blazed with a promise of death. "You lay a hand on her, and I'll kill you."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Short chapter, I know but it is something.

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The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 8

Heating Things Up

Captain Antilles and Chewbacca headed into the Broughtin Cantina, looking around for their contact. It did not take long to spot her. She was in a dim corner of the bar – though Wedge couldn't help but think all corners of all bars seemed dim – and waved at them as they came in. If she noticed the young man who came in a few minutes later and ordered a Corellian Ale from the robotic server before sitting down in a booth across the aisle, she didn't show it.

Wedge nodded at her and could not help but take note of her exceptional beauty once again, as he and Chewbacca slid into the vacant bench across the table from her. Kalena was Mupallion in origin. Mupalla was a world not well known, but Solo had traded with them during his smugger days. Antilles figured he had been attracted by their beautiful women. The women of Mupalla were exceptionally striking, with all colors of hair – and it was always long and uncut. The women of the higher class families had hair that was curly; the servant class always had straight hair. The women were also usually very discreet in nature and very pleasant to be around. They could, however, be quite dangerous if crossed.

Other than the long hair and beautiful women, there wasn't much interesting about Mupalla, however, those two things were enough to make the women especially sought after as negotiators and diplomats. Kalena had been working on Tal-Edonn in her current capacity since before the Empire was destroyed. She enjoyed her work and had stayed on to help with the transition after the Rebel Alliance had defeated Palpatine.

However, for the first time, she was regretting her decision. Kalena was a woman of strong morals and good character. She came from a family of professionals who took pride in their work. However, they always valued stability and none of them had ever been involved in anything very dangerous. So Kalena was exceedingly nervous. When she had agreed to be the contact between the suppliers and the Rebel representatives, she had seen it as one more job to do; one more opportunity for possible advancement in her chosen career. She had not signed on for what it had become. She had met Judge Cadnell before the rebels had reached Tal-Edonn and had found him to be personable and charming. He was the one who had been brokering the supplies to begin with.

But everything had changed shortly after they had arrived. Kalena had been followed home after the first negotiations had been completed. She had been told by the Judge that things were not as they seemed and that he required her help. He told her that since he was Judge, he had legal authority for his dealings and had demanded she take certain actions on his behalf. When Kalena had balked, not liking the sound of these new duties, she had been threatened. Pictures of her family had been produced and details of their schedule and agendas had let her know the Judge had resources available to him that would enable him to carry out his threats. Not knowing what else to do, she had agreed to his demands. But she didn't like the situation at all.

Judge Cadnell had told her his story after he had coerced her into cooperating. He said he had been the victim of a horrible crime and because it had taken place when the empire was still in control, he had no recourse for justice through the rebel alliance. Therefore, he was taking matters – and justice - into his own hands.

The Judge alleged his family had been peacefully living in a small town on a world that had chosen to remain neutral. But during the height of the war, a rebel alliance ship had landed at their small spaceport. Thinking they could stay neutral, the small government had decided to not re-supply the alliance ship when they were asked to help.

Cadnell's take on it was that they were not really asked at all; it was demanded that they resupply. When they advised the rebel leaders they were choosing to stay neutral, the ship's commander had opened fire on the small village, annihilating everyone there. Cadnell had been on the other side of the planet and by the time he heard about it, there was no one left alive in his family. There were only a few survivors, and they had given him the name of the man who had been leading the rebel mission and who had ordered the town destroyed. Cadnell had vowed that he would hunt down and take his revenge on this man – no matter no long it took.

And when Kalena had inquired as to the identity of his adversary – the Judge's face had turned into a mask of hatred. "The man was Corellian. It has been my experience that almost all villains are Corellian – or at least all Corellians are villains. This one is the worst of all. His name is Captain Wedge Antilles. And I intend to see him brought to his knees before I kill him."

Kalena had gulped with fear, wondering just how she had gotten herself into this mess. Her instructions had been to set up a second meet with the New Alliance members, offering them additional mining supplies. The supplies were being delivered to a warehouse by the Judge's troops. She was to show them the high quality merchandise and delay them long enough for the Judge to get his soldiers in place. His hope was that Antilles would be with the group who came for the negotiations; but if not, he would capture whoever did, and use them as bait.

Of course, Kalena knew that the ones who had been captured were none other than the Princess Organa-Solo, her husband Han Solo, and Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. She had wondered how the Judge planned to subdue the two Jedi, and had watched in astonishment as the Yalsimiri's had served their purpose.

She had been in the shadows as the Princess and the others had been led away, captives of the Judge. And she had been the one contacted by his right hand man, Kenfer, with instructions on exactly what she was to tell Antilles, and more specifically, what she was to give him. A day after the Alliance members had been captured, one of Kenfer's lieutenants has brought her a small chip – and told her to give it to Captain Antilles. They were sure the Captain would contact her, has he had no other leads on what had happened to his friends.

And now Kalena was sitting in a cantina, talking to that same captain and his large companion, the Wookie Chewbacca. She gulped, knowing the reputation Wookies had for being loyal to their friends. She had heard of his life debt to Captain Solo – who in the entire galaxy hadn't? She was more than a little afraid of the large being, in spite of his gentle blue eyes, which were now trained on her, as if assessing her, trying to see if she could be trusted.

Kalena turned her attention to the Captain, trying to decide if he could possibly be the evil criminal the Judge had told her about. He just didn't seem the type to gun down innocent civilians, but then, she knew she wasn't a particularly good judge of character. After all, she had trusted the Judge. Realizing however, that she had little choice in the matter, since she had no desire for her family to suffer the same fate as the Judge's had, she decided to get to the point quickly. She knew she was being watched; she had seen the same lieutenant that had delivered the chip to her sitting at the bar when she had first come in.

"Captain Antilles. I know you must be wondering what has happened to your friends. I can tell you only what I know. They have been taken – and I am to give you this." Kalena carefully handed over the small chip to Antilles. "I have been instructed to tell you to access the information on this chip. Your friends are in danger, but it isn't even them they are after. It's you Captain. And unless you cooperate with the instructions here, what you see recorded here will only be the beginning."

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Many things happened simultaneously as the Judge took in what was going on in the prisoner's cell. Han managed to launch himself toward the Judge, just as Luke could feel the force flowing fully back into him. Leia was not quite as quick to recover her complete force senses, but made up for it as her concern for her injured husband came to the forefront. As Han rammed into the Judge, Luke used the force to wrench the table leg free and hurled it through the air, just over Cadnell's head, using it to knock one of the guards senseless. Judge Cadnell did not know whether he was more shocked at Solo's surprise attack or at the obviously return of force abilities to the Jedi Knights. But before he could complete his thought, even has he crashed to the ground with Solo on top of him, he had another problem to deal with.

Leia Organa Solo had had enough. She had no intention of seeing her husband abused further. Using the force to enhance her movement, she delivered a swift and brutal kick to her enemy's head and watched in satisfaction as his eyes first went wide in shock then closed in unconsciousness.

Bending down, she eased Han off the man and helped him roll over onto his back. "Han," she chided gently, "Just once couldn't you lie patiently on the floor and let us do the work?" Han, who had no idea that his wife and brother-in-law had somehow gotten their use of the force back, just laid his aching head back and groaned. "I can't keep up with you Jedi types. Just once, couldn't you let me in on what you're doing?"

Luke knelt beside him and smiled. "Sure, Han, we could, but you never listen to us anyway. But for now, how about we try to get out of here?" For at that moment, they could hear shouting and shots being fired some distance away.

"Ah, good idea. Someone help me up, okay?" And a very bleary eyed and confused Han Solo lifted his hand toward his companions, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet. "I think I'm tired of this party, anyway."

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**A/N: I am wondering if there is enough interest in this story to continue? I ****could just be finished here or it could continue, either for one more chapter or a few more. I have a few different ways in mind to end it, but the interest seems to have dropped off. Please let me know and thanks.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not now, nor ever have, owned any rights to anything Star Wars. I do own pretty much all the books and movies ever created and I own my own grateful attitude toward George Lucas, who started it all.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, favorite story status and the traffic I see the story has been getting. I truly do appreciate it all, especially at this point in my life with what has been going on for me personally. Your expressions of sympathy and encouragement are very special to me. I especially value the wise and sage advice of Sachariah – and I will finish this story, hopefully without too much more delay.

**Note about the Mupallions:** The world of _Mupalla_ is my own creation. Mupallions are humanoid, but not strictly humans. They have their own distinct society and culture. However, I did get the name Mupalla from a small village in India. I was there this past year with my church, visiting a local orphanage. _Brougthtin_ Cantina and _Guntar_ Street also come from my visit to India.

This chapter is all about Wedge – I needed to develop his role a bit. I promise the action will pick up in the next chapter, which I hope to post by the weekend. And though I definitely damaged the poor little Yalsimiris, I still promise they will eventually be set free, relatively unharmed.

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The Princess and The Pirate

Chapter 9

What Wedge Did Next

Wedge Antilles took the chip from Kalena. His mouth was opening and closing, sort of a like fish, was Zeeli's observation. He had overheard a bit of the conversation and could not reconcile what he had heard about the Captain with what he personally knew of him. No way had Antilles done something that had earned the hatred of a man like Kalena was now describing to them.

Kalena had seen the look of shock on Wedge's face when she had announced that it was him who was being sought; not either of the Solo's or Luke Skywalker. She knew she wasn't supposed to say more, but could not stop herself. She had surreptitiously looked around after giving the chip to Wedge and had seen the Lieutenant get up and leave the cantina immediately after that. She had no way of knowing if they were still under surveillance; but she rather suspected they were. She had that kind of itchy feeling one gets when you know you are being watched. However, since she had met no one beyond Cadnell, Kenfer and the Lieutenant, she didn't have any idea who it might be.

Kalena determined she was finished being a pawn for the evil Judge, and decided she was going to throw in with the rebels. After all, her observations had been that they had been a lot more successful than any of their enemies. Having made that mental switch, she immediately began telling Wedge and Chewbacca what she knew, including the part where the

Judge was sure Antilles was personally responsible for the death of his family.

Chewbacca shook his massive head and responded, after laying his huge paw on Wedge's shoulder. "No. I know this man and he would never have done such a thing. None of the true rebels would have; but we have heard reports there were mercenaries and privateers who did such things and blamed their activities on the rebellion." Wedge had regained a bit of his composure by the time Chewbacca finished his speech.

"Does he have anyone watching us?" he asked Kalena, glancing around as unobtrusively as he could. "He did," she replied, "but he left after I gave you the chip."

"The lieutenant?" Wedge wanted to know. At her affirmative nod, he waved Zeeli over. "Did you get all that," he asked. Zeeli nodded. "You want me to go after him?" Wedge grinned. "Good man," he said. "I like it when you kids read my mind. Yes, follow him; see if you can figure out where they're headquartered. Stay close, but don't let him see you. If you can learn how he's contacting this Judge person, let me know right away. Be careful, Zeel, these are dangerous people."

Zeeli's wide brown eyes narrowed. "I won't fail you, Captain," and he left without another word. No one heard him murmur to himself, "I won't fail anyone ever again." Kalena's eyes followed the man as he quickly left. "He's brave," she sighed, then returned to her story. Finishing with what she knew, she asked "So now what do we do?" Neither Chewie nor Wedge hesitated to trust her; they knew that Mupallions, if they swore loyalty to you of their own free will, were completely trustworthy. They also knew that being coerced tended to turn them into serious enemies.

"I guess we find a private terminal and look at whatever is on this chip. I have a distinct feeling we're not going to like it." And Wedge rose to his feet, threw a credit chip at the robot server and they left. Kalena led them to a public administration building where for another credit chip, they were able to rent a private viewing room. Chewbacca stood guard at the door and glowered at the screen as Wedge placed the chip in the reader. He somehow knew he was not going to like what it revealed.

The first thing on the screen was a man whom neither of the rebels recognized, but Kalena knew immediately. "That's the Judge. And behind him, that's his second, Kenfer. He really gives me the creeps." The Judge faced them and smiled – an expression devoid of any warmth whatsoever.

"Ah, Captain Antilles, I presume." His demeanor was purely evil. "I am Judge Cadnell and you may not have heard of me. But you will soon learn to know me very, very well. I assume you have made contact with my lovely assistant, whom I also assume has now completely gone over to your side. I know that Mupallions are noteworthy for defecting if they don't like how they've been treated." His eyes seemed to bore into the lovely young woman and she instinctively shrank back from his gaze. Chewbacca snarled, making it clear she was now under his protection.

No one in the small room said anything however, and the Judge resumed his speech. "By now you know I have your friends under my control. You may think the Skywalker twins have some power over me, because of their Jedi skills; rest assured those skills have been totally neutralized. You may not have heard of the animals known as Yalsimiri's, but I am sure you will be quite familiar with them by the time this is over." The man they now knew as Cadnell smirked at them.

Continuing, he said, "I don't really even want your friends, Captain. You must know how much I hate you. If you don't, then you are even more cold, more callus and arrogant than I could have imagined. And it is possible you care little or nothing for your associates. But I have heard that the rebels hold their friends in high esteem. So I have based my entire operation on that premise. If I am incorrect, and you have no concern for your fellow Corellian, then I believe your furry companion will. If not for Captain Solo himself, then certainly for Mrs. Solo."

Chewbacca howled at the mention of his life bonded partner's name, dreading what he felt sure must be coming. He had seen Han suffer for others all too often and hated that it was happening again and he was powerless to stop it. Wedge glanced at him, and just said "Steady, Chewie, we'll get them out of this."

The Judge turned toward Kenfer and motioned with his hand. Kenfer in turn approached a video screen and pressed a button. The occupants of the small administration room held their breath as they waited for what would happen next.

Cadnell smiled, almost as if he could see their expressions. "Watch. See what I am capable of. And know that if you do not follow the instructions at the end of this video, Solo's wife will be next. After her, Skywalker himself. Then I'll start again on the Captain – and I will kill them, one by one in that order."

Those watching reacted in different ways to the horror that unfolded in front of them. Chewie whined and moaned, and shook the sides of the doorway in his anger and frustration. Wedge never looked away from the screen, his eyes smoldering in rage. And Kalena could not stop the tears that welled up in her lovely eyes, as she finally understood what she had agreed to become a part of.

They watched as a bound and nearly insensible Han Solo was dragged out of a cell; behind him, Luke and Leia tried to come to his rescue. Leia was dropped instantly by what they all prayed was a stun beam and Luke was hurled into the bulkhead, and came to rest on the floor, unmoving. The camera followed Solo's progress down the hall and into another room. They watched as he was bound to chains in the ceiling, and the signs of the injuries he had already sustained were unmistakable. The screen went to black, but came on again almost immediately.

Kenfer walked into the room and began to beat the defenseless man. After he used his fists for awhile, he continued with a club. When it was obvious Solo couldn't take much more, the chains suddenly snapped open and he crumpled to the floor. Kalena cried out when she saw Kenfer take a blaster and destroy the flesh around Solo's wrist. Chewie mewed and moaned, but Wedge never blinked. His face became harder and harder, only relaxing a tiny fraction when it became obvious Solo had lost consciousness sometime during the blaster fire.

Kenfer's men placed the Captain's shirt back on him and dragged him from the room. His limp body gave testimony to the beating he had endured. The screen darkened once again. Judge Cadnell malevolent visage came on a moment later. "Captain Antilles. I heartily suggest that if you want to see Han Solo, his lovely wife or the Jedi Master alive again, you present yourself, unarmed and alone, to the location that will shortly appear on the screen. You must know you are being closely watched and all your transmissions are being monitored. Since none of you know exactly who you are looking for, it will be impossible to detect my men. I will give you 3 minutes to think about it and discuss with your companions. At the end of that time, a location will flash on the screen. Memorize it and be there, alone as instructed at sunset tomorrow night."

The screen went blank again. For a few minutes, there was only silence. Then Kalena turned to Wedge. "What will you do?" she asked? "Do?" Wedge growled back. "Do? I'll do exactly what he asks. No one else is going to suffer on account of me."

Chewbacca argued vehemently against that idea, but Wedge would not be dissuaded. Wedge told Chewie to take care of Kalena, and find Zeeli, then mount whatever rescue he deemed possible.

They were still arguing when the screen came back on. Wedge threw a sneaky grin at the others, and then stepped directly in front of it. Memorizing the location that came up, he turned the monitor off, pocketed the chip and without another word, left the building. Chewbacca howled in frustration again, but taking Kalena by the arm, left right behind the headstrong Corellian and started looking for Zeeli.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I still wish I did.**

_**A/N – My apologies for taking so long to update. No matter how hard I try to make fan fiction my first priority, life just keeps happening. Anyway, this is an action packed chapter, so hopefully that will make up for the long wait.**_

_**Thank you to all for your reviews and the alerts, traffic, etc. It does make an author feel so appreciated. But mostly, I want to thank you for your kind words of sympathy and for your prayers. It has meant a lot to me that strangers care enough to express your thoughts and to pray for me and my family. We are recovering well and choosing to go on with life. May you all feel God's blessings on you in return. **_

**Now – on to the story! **

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**The Princess and The Pirate**

**Chapter 10**

**Escape?**

Luke and Leia finished getting a very sore and weary Captain Solo to his feet. He was ready with a smart aleck remark, but had to bite it back as the full force of his injuries slammed into him as he tried to stand fully upright. Luke stopped long enough to gather what weapons were available. Handing a blaster to Leia and sticking a small one in Solo's belt, he pocketed one for himself. Looking ruefully at the Judge, he considered finishing him off, but left him unconscious on the floor. "I hope we won't regret that."

Using his new reestablished force to listen intently, Skywalker took the lead. He carefully stuck his head out of their cell and not seeing or hearing anyone except the guards they had disabled, he motioned Han and Leia to follow him.

Solo tried not to lean too hard on his wife, but was afraid he was about to fall flat on his face. He'd been injured before – too many times before, but for some reason this time he couldn't seem to ignore the pain as he often was able to. His chest hurt and his head and back were throbbing in time with his heartbeat. The pain in his arm didn't even bear thinking about. For a moment, he considered telling Luke and Leia to go on without him, but snorted quietly to himself as he considered what their reaction would be.

Luke glanced back at him with a slight grin. "Don't even think about it, Solo." Alarmed at Han's lack of response, he took a step back and pulled the Captain's uninjured arm over his shoulder. "Come on Han, we'll help you." And so the three of them inched their way along, hoping they would be able to get away without any of them taking any more damage.

Of course, nothing ever went as they planned. They approached the entrance and both Luke and Leia could sense danger ahead. "Storm Troopers," Leia said, with a worried glance at her very pale husband. "You two wait here." Luke's face was grim as he helped ease Solo back against the wall. "I'll check things out and be right back." Leia nodded and turned back to the Corellian who was obviously struggling to stay fully conscious, let alone on his feet. "Hurry, Luke," she whispered. "I don't know how much time he has.

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Wedge had scouted out the location that had been given to him by the Judge. Then he had little to do but wait. He tried to gain information regarding Cadnell, Kenfer or any of the other people who had been involved in the kidnapping but learned relatively little. He thought about contacting Chewie or even Zeeli, but knew they would try to stop him from meeting the Judge. And even though the logical part of him knew that going alone was dangerous, he simply couldn't live with the idea of anyone else being hurt on his behalf.

So by the time sunset rolled around, Captain Wedge Antilles was one angry, impatient and tense man. Checking around once more to make sure he hadn't been followed, he stepped into the quiet courtroom where the Judge had set up the meeting. "Fitting," he thought to himself. "A Judge, holding a meeting in a court." Looking around, and knowing he was early, he saw no one he recognized and no one seemed to be looking for him. Settling with his back to the wall where he could keep an eye on the entrance, waited. And waited, and waited. Just when he was ready to give up, he was finally rewarded with some action. But who he saw coming into the room was definitely not what he expected. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

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Luke eased his way forward, surreptitiously spying on the troopers milling rather aimlessly around the entrance to the warehouse where they were being held. He was alarmed at the number of men he saw, and as he inched forward, his distress went up. In the middle of the room, he saw a stack of what appeared to be cages. And in the cages, he could see and feel – or rather – not feel - the animals residing there. "Yalsimiris," he sighed to himself. "That's going to make this a whole lot harder."

With another sigh, he carefully backed away, returning to Leia and Han to report his findings. Just when he didn't think things could get much worse, Han's eyes suddenly rolled back in his head and his legs gave way. Both Luke and Leia reached for him, and eased him to the floor before he could hit his head in the hard concrete. "Han," Leia gently shook him. "Han? Wake up. Please." But he was out cold and they were unable to revive him. Leia laid her hand on his forehead and was alarmed at the amount of heat coming from his face.

"He's really in bad shape, Luke," she whispered. "I hate to say it, but I think you're going to need to go on and leave us here. You've got to get out, find help. And fast."

Luke didn't want to give her more her more bad news, but knew time was of the essence. "It's worse than that," he shook his head. "They've got Yalsimiris out front. I may be able to sneak out, but I won't be able to use the force until I get a pretty good distance away. And you won't either."

XXXXXXXXXX

Wedge was not happy to see that Zeeli had entered the courtroom. "I thought I told you to shadow that Lieutenant." He glared at the young ensign. To his surprise, the normally stiff and formal young man just gave him a cheeky grin. "You did. And I did."

"So, why are you here? What's going on?" Wedge was anything but willing to wait on answers. Zeeli dialed his smile back a little. "I followed him. He isn't the brightest man I've ever shadowed. He went right to a comm center and called Kenfer. I think things aren't going quite as the Judge expected." And Zeeli grinned again, but said no more.

Wedge took a menacing step forward. "Ensign! Report – now! And I want your complete assessment. Do I make myself clear?" The last words were a shout, and the grinning Ensign quickly backed down, returning to his military bearing.

"Ah, yes sir. Crystal clear, sir." A gulp and Zeeli continued. "As I said, I followed him. When he called in, I was close enough to overhear his side of the conversation. It sounded like there had been a disturbance. I'm not sure what happened, but if I had to guess, I'd say there was a problem with their prisoners. My guess is they escaped somehow."

Wedge looked thoughtful. "That doesn't particularly surprise me. With or without the force, those three aren't going to be kept down long. Anything else?"

Zeeli responded quickly. "Yes sir. The Lieutenant, his name is Lieutenant Denwei, repeated his orders out loud. I wrote down what he said – here." And Zeeli pushed a piece of paper toward the startled Corellian Captain.

"Well," Wedge looked up. "That changes things. Come on!" And he left the courthouse at a run, yanking his comm link to his lips. "Chewie? Chewie! Do you read? Where are you? Get the ship ready – we need to lift off. Now!"

XXXXXXXXX

"Help me move him behind these crates," Leia gently took Han's head and shoulders in her arms as Luke picked his brother-in-law's legs up. Together they managed to pull him behind what limited cover was available. Neither of them mentioned that Solo didn't even stir as they manhandled his already abused body.

Leia took her "borrowed" blaster out, and grabbed the one in Han's belt as well, laying it close by. Checking the charges, she nodded at her brother. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner he gets some help." Luke gave her a quick hug, then staying close the walls and in the shadows as much as possible, he began inching his way toward the entrance. Leia stationed herself in front of her husband's prone body, determined to protect him with her life.

Luke was naturally stealthy and until he got within about 6 feet of the Yalsimiri cages, he had no problem avoiding detection. He knew it was going to get much harder from there on out. Just before he lost his sense of the force, he used it to cause several barrels that were stacked on top of each other to suddenly fall. Using the ensuing confusion as a distraction, he bent low to the ground and hurried toward the entrance.

He almost made it. He was just clearing the large warehouse door, trying to ignore the abrupt loss of his force sense, when he suddenly heard Kenfer's voice. "Stop him!"

Luke didn't stop. He sprinted for the outside, firing over his shoulder. Just as he thought he was going to make it far enough away to regain his force sensitivity, he felt the sting of a blaster bolt on the back of his left knee. The force of the shot threw him to the ground, but Skywalker was not finished. He rolled into the fall, did a rather spectacular somersault and came up firing.

Leia observed all of this from her hiding place and knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Wondering if she should go to Luke's rescue or stay with Han, she was saved from having to decide between her husband and her brother by a voice she had hoped never to hear again.

"Trying to escape before I've finished? Not wise, Princess, not wise at all." And Leia turned, facing the Judge with her blaster primed and ready. In the corner of her eye, she saw he had at least 6 guards with him. Not caring, she told him in a voice that was as cold as ice, "You won't take us a second time, Judge. I won't stand by and watch you torture Han again."

As she squeezed the trigger, knowing it was likely to be the last act she ever completed, she heard the Judge's evil laugh. "I have no intention of taking you alive this time. I'm sure my real enemy has been captured by now, so I have no need of you. I hope you die well." And the Judge flung his arm forward, releasing a blast grenade, with the pin already pulled.

Leia tried to aim her shot, and block the grenade at the same time. She was successful at one of her maneuvers. Her aim was true and the Judge was hit high on his right chest, throwing him back against the nearest guard.

But to her horror, she missed the grenade. As if in slow motion, she turned and saw it roll up against her unprotected husband. Knowing it would go off in seconds, she gave a desperate push with the force hoping she had timed it right.

There was the sound of explosions, and the air was immediately full of thick smoke. So many things seemed to be happening at once, it took several seconds for Leia to register what was in front of her eyes. "Han!" she cried. "No! Oh gods, no!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**A/N: Okay, so sorry for the very evil cliffy, but I just had too. I think only one or two more chapters and I'll be wrapping this one up. I'll try very hard to post the next chapter in a day or two. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Nope – I don't own them. I just bruise them up periodically.**

_**A/N : Thank you again for the reviews and words of encouragement. As this story is winding down – one more chapter I think, I want to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for your reviews, for marking this story as a favorite, or marking it for a chapter alert. I'm also thrilled with the amount of traffic I have seen, especially those of you who are reading from around the world. **_

_**Here is a special shout out to my known reviewers – thanks so much for all your comments and support: Sechariah, DarkRose2006, FuzzyDeMash (oh yeah, sorry about the evil cliffy there….), Demasu, friend2friend, Skip39, Darkmatterfangirl, Totalstarsfan-girl332, Fallon, GunslingerHan, MoriMemento, Darth Jayne and I love dance. If I missed anyone or misspelled your names – I apologize in advance.**_

_**Also, I know I am taking a few liberties with things like force sensitivity in characters that didn't show any on the show or in the books, and also the timeline, but since it is my story, that's just how I want to write it. It works for me, and I hope it doesn't detract too much. **_

_**Any medical mistakes in this chapter or the next are all mine. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Princess and The Pirate**

**Chapter 11**

**The Princess and Her Pirate**

To say Kenfer was agitated would be an understatement. If it could go wrong, it had in the last few hours. First, somehow, those accursed prisoners had managed to escape, even though he had been personally assured the Yalsimiris would guarantee they had no force abilities. But when the alarms had started sounding and Kenfer had run to the prisoner's cell, he had found chaos. One guard was dead, two were disabled and the Judge was unconscious. And most importantly, all three prisoners were missing. A quick glance at the cages had shown the nasty little creatures undisturbed, apparently sleeping peacefully.

Kenfer had ordered the guard's body disposed of and had summoned medical care for the Judge. An adrenalin hypo had quickly restored the Judge's consciousness, if not his disposition. Realizing his bait had escaped, the Judge ordered Kenfer to the front of the facility, and on pain of death, he was told to find out what had happened, bring in reinforcements, even if he had to recall troops from Tal-Edonn, and make sure the captives were found.

Kenfer had raced to the front, only to be summoned by his personal comm link channel. Realizing it had to be Lieutenant Dnewei on Tal-Edonn, he skidded to a stop, yanked his comm link to lips and gave a terse command for a report. As soon as he heard that the Lieutenant didn't actually have Antilles in custody, he cut the man off. "Shut up and listen to me! I want you to round up 30 extra troops and get them on the troopship. All of you get over here immediately." Kenfer gave the man the landing coordinates, demanding that he repeat them.

Assured that backup was on the way, Kenfer abruptly cut the transmission and continued to the front of the warehouse, which was the only way out. As he came to the end of a corridor, he heard something crashing and a lot of yelling. Looking up, he was barely able to jump out of the way of some barrels that suddenly were cascading down from somewhere near the ceiling.

"Skywalker!" he cursed. "It has to be!" Dodging the last of the barrels, he skidded to a halt and spotted the Jedi, crouched low and running for the cover of the trees. Raising his blaster, he sighted on the man and screamed, "Stop him!" as he fired. Watching Luke appear to fall, he was delighted with his marksmanship, but his delight quickly evaporated as the Jedi Master continued his fall, turning it into an acrobatic somersault and Kenfer found himself facing the business end of Luke's blaster. Desperately throwing himself to one side, he realized his best chance at life was to let the Jedi Knight go for now, and concentrate on the other two.

Before the beleaguered man could even finish formulating that thought, he was rocked by an explosion from somewhere behind him. Spinning around, his last thought was that the pay he was getting from the Judge wasn't worth it. Then a large piece of one of the barrels impacted with his forehead and he dropped like a stone, dead before he hit the ground.

XXXXXXXXXX

Leia could hardly make herself take the few steps toward her husband. He was covered in blood and she didn't see how he could possibly be alive. There seemed no way he could have survived the horrific explosion and she was appalled that she had seemingly been unable to shove the grenade away from him in time. But Leia had been through too many tragedies in her life to walk away from the greatest one she'd ever faced. With steps slowed by dread, she approached Han and reached a trembling hand toward him to see if there could be any possible signs of life. And before she could quite bring herself to touch his bloody face, she was rewarded with a slight groan issuing from his swollen lips.

"Ahh, what hit me?" he whispered. "Feels like Luke's X-Wing just blew up in front of me."

"Han," Leia breathed. "I thought you were, I thought, oh gods Han, I thought you were dead." Leia finished reaching out and gently caressed his bleeding face. "And it wasn't Luke's X-Wing, it was a blast grenade. I tried to push it away, but, I couldn't, it didn't…" her voice trailed off as her relief overwhelmed her. Han managed to reach his left hand up and caught her small hand in his, closing his fingers over hers. "Shhhh, Mrs. Solo. It's ok. I'm ok." He raised his head, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain threatened to swamp him. "I don't think this blood is all mine."

Leia got herself under control and waved her other hand through the air, trying to clear away the rest of the smoke. She could see then, that Han was partially pinned by the torso of one of the guards. "No, I don't think so either. But you are a real mess, flyboy. Do you think you can stand if I help you?"

Han had no idea if he could or not, but neither was he going to wait around for the next explosion or disaster. "Sure, but let's get this guy off me first, okay? I don't really need to haul him around with me." Pushing at the half body keeping his shoulders pinned down; he helped Leia move the dead man. Gritting his teeth to keep from moaning aloud, his efforts were rewarded as he pressed himself to his knees without passing out. Looking up at his wife, he tried to reassure her with his patented crooked grin. Leia had the good sense not to tell him it looked more like a grimace and just kept her arm around him, helping him the rest of the way to his feet.

"Okay," Solo gasped out, half turning toward where he thought the entrance was. "Now what? Which way? Where's Luke, anyway?" He squinted out through eyes that were swollen and black and blue, trying to see his friend; his brother.

"He went for help," was all Leia would tell him. "Now I think we'd better try to find a place to hide. I don't think we're getting out the way Luke did." And the Princess and the Pirate, filthy, bleeding, limping, dirty, and breathless, leaned on each other and headed into a darkened corridor, hoping to outwit their pursuers, just one more time.

XXXXXXXX

Wedge had been rewarded by Chewbacca's immediate response when he had commed him with new orders. He advised Wedge he would recall the rescue team and they would be ready for liftoff as soon as Wedge and Zeeli joined them. As the two of them sprinted for their ship, Zeeli thought to ask the Captain what had happened to Kalena.

Wedge looked surprised for a moment, and then called ahead to Chewbaca with the same question. He noted with some interest the slight smile on Zeeli's face as they were informed she was already on board the Falcon, having expressed her intent to see the rescue through. She had told the Wookie she felt at least partially responsible for the pain and suffering the Solo's and Skywalker had suffered and wanted to do whatever she could to make things right. If Wedge noticed that Zeeli seemed to pick up the pace a little more, he wasn't obvious about it.

They arrived at the Falcon and found Han's ship ready and waiting. Wedge went through the barest of preflight procedures and they were soon airborne, ignoring the calls from the spaceport for identification. Entering the coordinates Zeeli had copied into the navigation system, they found their hyperspace travel would be just over an hour. That gave Captain Antilles just enough time to outline his plan.

"We'll look for any obvious areas where they might be held, from the air. If they really have escaped, then Luke may be able to contact us, either through the force or with his com link. Once we've located them, we'll land a short distance away, and I'll lead a reconnaissance team in. Volunteers only; this will likely be pretty dangerous." Wedge was unsurprised that every member of their group immediately volunteered. Grinning, he chose a few of their best scouts and snipers, as well as Chewbacca (as if he would be able to keep the Wookie away,) Zeeli and Kalena.

The Falcon made lazy circles above the area the coordinates had led them to, just far enough up to remain undetected by eye or ear. "There!" Zeeli pointed, noting the infrared signature obviously made by several humanoids. "There isn't anything else like that showing up anywhere on the planet. It has to be the place."

Wedge double checked the area against their coordinates and nodded. Just as he was about to give the order that would take them in, Chewbacca gave a short bark. "It is Luke. I get a sense of his presence. He knows we are here and wants us to land." Chewbacca was overly force sensitive, but he was able to receive impressions now and then.

Wedge gently guided the ship to earth, setting her down without even a bump. The team of volunteers, minus himself, Chewbacca and Zeeli who were in the cockpit, were already assembled by the landing ramp door. As soon as Wedge arrived and nodded, the door was opened and they descended, weapons at ready and looking around carefully.

Chewbacca spotted Luke first, sitting under a tree. He looked exhausted. His face was bruised, his clothes were torn and dirty and he had a dirty bandage wrapped around his left knee. Chewbacca hurried to him, as Wedge sent one of the technicians back for a med kit. "How bad, Luke?" he asked, and Luke knew he meant more than just his own wounds.

"I'm ok, Chewie, this isn't much. Just nicked me," he indicated the blaster wound on his leg. "Leia's ok, she got hit by a heavy stun, but she's recovered from that. Han is, well, he got beat up pretty bad." Chewbacca took the kit from the tech, and nodded. "We saw it. I will kill him, the man who did that to him." Luke hissed as Chewbacca eased the bandage away from the raw wound and shook his head. "No need. Someone already took care of that. He won't bother anyone ever again."

As soon as Luke's wound had been properly attended to, he stood. "We have to go in through the front door; there is no back entrance. I won't be able to use the force once we get close." Luke took a few precious minutes to explain the function of the Yalsimiris. "Who knows?" he said. "If I know Leia like I think I do, she'll probably arrange for some major distraction right when we need it. Anyway, stay close and low, and let's go get them out of there."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Han and Leia had made their way slowly and carefully through one of the side corridors, hoping to avoid detection, and hide until help arrived. But luck had not been with them on this trip yet, and it didn't start now. As they carefully moved forward, Leia's attention was more on Han than on anything else. Han's attention was on trying to keep to his feet. So when they rounded yet another corner, neither of them was particularly surprised to be met by a contingent of Storm Troopers, blast rifles already out and pointed at them.

"Halt." The word was short and to the point. "Don't move or I'll kill you where you stand." Han just hook his head. "Seems that's all anyone wants to do these days – kill us. It's getting really old." But he was too sick and exhausted to make more than a token protest when they were told to raise their hands. He didn't get very far in raising his right arm, before his knees buckled again. Leia went to him, keeping him from hitting the floor.

She didn't have a chance to defend them and they were quickly disarmed. Using the force, she quickly "sent" a message to Luke. She was rewarded by the sense that he knew of their plight and that help was on the way. She followed along as Han was once again lifted and heaved over a trooper's shoulders, staying next to her husband.

For his part, Solo was just trying not to scream in pain. His bruised organs protested the brutal treatment and it didn't help when the soldier grabbed his injured arm, using it to keep the Captain balanced on his shoulders. Solo was sweating and his lower lip was bloody where his teeth were embedded in it as he kept his grunts of pain to a minimum.

Before long, they were brought back to their original cell. Solo was dumped on the ground, where he lay still, fighting to breathe through the pain. Leia was unceremoniously shoved in behind him, and threatened with a rifle when she tried to demand they provide medical treatment. Ignoring her frantic pleas, the Colonel in charge ordered, "Leave them here and post two guards outside the door. No one in or out without my say so," the Colonel in charge ordered. "The Judge is in surgery and he'll have to decide what to do with them when he wakes up."

Leia pounded on the door with frustration as it closed in her face. Realizing she could gain nothing further with that tactic, she turned and knelt by her injured husband. "Han," she gently cupped his chin with her hand. "Han, how bad? Your breathing doesn't sound good; let me help you sit up."

Indeed, Solo was wheezing and winded, and he didn't try to deny Leia's concern. Pushing himself to a half sitting position, he was stopped as deep, wracking coughs shook him. Moaning with the pain, he finally gasped out, "Ah, not good, Princess. I don't feel so good."

And with that, the Pirate laid his aching, feverish head back against his Princess' shoulder. "I hope Luke hurries up. I don't know how we're gonna' get out of this one."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, and make no money from this.**

_A/N: Okay, first sorry for the delay. Work has been crazy busy, as has my home life, with the 4__th__ of July holiday and all. So, here is chapter 12 and guess what? It isn't the last chapter after all! There will be at least one more, maybe two, depending on how the next one goes. I know this is short, but it is something at least!_

_Thanks again for the reviews, alerts and for all who are reading this. Now without further ado – here is the next installment. _

XXXXXXXXXX

**The Princess and The Pirate**

**Chapter 12**

**Reward and Glory?**

Luke filled the rescue team in on the remaining details. He noted that a troop ship had landed a short time earlier, with obvious reinforcements. Luke's eyebrows raised in Wedge's direction when the Corellian Captain shrugged, grinned and said, "Yeah, we figured they would beat us here."

"So, now, **you** have the force Wedge? Just when I lose my force sense?" Luke couldn't help but question how it was Wedge seemed to know what had taken place before he'd arrived. "Time for that story later, Skywalker," Antilles responded. "I see the entrance ahead. We could sure use Leia's distraction about now."

Promptly at that moment, the four guards at the entrance to the warehouse suddenly abandoned their post, apparently reacting to something they had heard in their comlinks. There was a lot of shouting, and the soldiers and mercenaries were unexpectedly milling around, without any obvious leadership.

"Now's our chance!" Chewbacca called, and he led the charge into the facility, ignoring Luke's cries to wait. Shrugging his shoulder again, Wedge simply threw one more impudent grin at Luke and followed the enraged Wookie in. "Guard my back, Zeeli," he called over his shoulder. Zeeli and Kalena, tired of all the waiting around and helpless feelings, felt a surge of adrenalin. Side by side, with their weapons drawn, they hurried behind Wedge and Chewie, looking from side to side for any dangers previously unseen.

With a sigh, Luke quickly organized the remainder of the rescue team, leaving a few outside and hidden, in case they needed to call for reinforcements or provide immediate medical assistance. Grabbing up the med kit that Chewie had used to give him first aid, he nodded to the four members of the Alliance team not staying behind. "Let's go. No sense in letting the rest of them get all the reward and have all the glory." Luke couldn't help smile to himself as he used one of Han's favorite lines from their earlier days in the rebellion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Leia had spent an uncomfortable and frightening few hours as her husband's condition had deteriorated before her eyes. When they had first been put back in their cell, he had been coherent, though obviously in a great deal of pain. Leia's alarm grew with each of Han's coughing fits, which left him gasping for breath and writhing in misery. She knew the work the regenerator had done on his internal injuries had done little or nothing to help with his broken ribs. After his last bout, he had looked at her and for the first time, she had seen fear in his eyes. Reaching a trembling hand out toward his wife, he had been unable to quite make contact with her skin, before his eyes had closed and he sank into unconsciousness once again.

In desperation, she began to think of a plan; anything to get help. Knowing that she had an advantage, both because of her ability to use the force, when no one should know she was able to, and because she had retrieved the miniature vibroblade from Luke at the last minute, just before he had sprinted for the entrance, she decided a diversion was what was needed. A few minutes thought and she had an idea in mind.

Just as she was about to implement her plan, she felt Luke briefly through the force. _"We're coming, Leia, be ready,"_ was the sense she got. Nodding to herself, Leia carefully laid Han on the ground and eased him around until he was facing the far wall. Hoping he would remain unmoving and still for a just a little longer, she leaned over him and gently caressed his bruised face. Placing her lips on his, she brushed him with a light kiss, praying to any gods who might be listening that he would get through this alive.

Then, with firm resolution marking her features, she stood up and grabbed the discarded table leg Luke had used to disable the Yalsimiris, easing the table down so it was resting on the floor on three legs. Retrieving the vibroblade she had meant as a gift for Solo, she went over to the door. Using the force to enhance her movements and the sound of her voice, she projected abject terror into her tone and began banging on the door and screaming.

"He's dead! You've killed him! Someone get in here! I can't stand to be in here! You have to do something!" Screaming the words over and over and using the force to push her feelings into the minds of the guards standing outside the door, she continued until she was finally rewarded with the image of one of the guards pulling a key from his pocket.

Continuing to yell, but standing slightly behind the door, she waited as it cautiously swung open. Again, using the force, she cast her senses outward, and not feeling anyone else nearby, she clubbed the first guard that entered over his head. When the second guard started toward her, she brandished the glowing vibroblade and told him told drop his weapon. The storm trooper was as weak minded as the first guard, and one glance at the fierce look on the Princess' face, and he dropped his weapon. Still holding the vibroblade in her left hand, Leia quickly scooped up his blaster, set it to stun and dropped the man where he stood.

As if he knew what she'd planned, Han chose that moment to roll over and moan slightly. Checking the corridor to make certain no one else was approaching, Leia hurried back to Solo. "Han," she urged, and even in his debilitated state, he couldn't miss the stress in her voice. "I need you to get up. I know it will be hard, but we need to move to a safer place, just a little way. Luke is on his way."

And using a part of the force she hadn't even know she could access, she somehow gave her wounded husband a force jolt, lending him some of her own indomitable spirit and strength. Though he was still in a great deal of pain and somewhat foggy, Han was able to stand, and using Leia as a sort of prop, he found the strength to walk.

Leia guided them unerringly through the maze of hallways until she came to a door opening into a darkened room, with a bank of computers. Again using the force, she checked to see if anyone was around. There was one trooper on duty. Looking around, she saw some canisters on a shelf far to the guard's right. Giving them a force nudge, she smiled as they came crashing down. As soon the hapless soldier turned his head toward the source of the noise, Princess Leia used the blaster, still set on stun, to take him out.

Solo, watching his wife efficiently deal with every obstacle in their path, managed a slight grin. "Remind me not to mess with you, sweetheart," he said, "you're way more ruthless than I ever was."

Leia glared at him, even as she helped him into the room and eased him onto a chair. "Shut up Solo," but her voice had no sting in it. "Now be still while I figure out where the controls to the entrance to this place are." A few minutes of looking, and Leia had pinpointed what she was looking for. As she was about to press the button to close the main door, Han suddenly leaned over her shoulder. "Wait!" He had been watching her, and had gotten carefully to his feet, and now he pointed at a different set of switches. "I think that's the main communication channel. What if you send them a bunch of different instructions, at the same time? Cause a lot of confusion?"

Leia glanced at him. "Sit down, before you fall down, flyboy. But— good idea." Watching until Han slid back into the chair he had just vacated, she thought for a moment, then using the force to disguise her voice, she sent various instructions to each separate unit, one right after another. Then, just to confuse things even more, she hit the toggle that set off an alarm inside the operating suite, where the Judge was being taken care of.

"That should shake things up some. Come on now, I expect Luke and the others will be heading inside, looking for us." And Leia once again gave her weary husband a force boost, as the two of them made their way carefully out of the communications center. After a moment, they headed in the general direction of the main entrance. Leia felt Luke's presence getting stronger as they continued on their way.

Finally coming around another sharp turn, they found themselves face to face with a very enraged Wookie, an equally incensed Wedge Antilles, Ensign Zeeli Thorenson and one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen. Leia broke into a smile, happy to see their rescuers at hand. But just as she opened her mouth to greet them, a fire fight broke out.

Pushing Han to the ground Leia spun and took out one of the attackers who had suddenly appeared from a hidden door in the wall. Even as he fell, other doors opened and the little group found themselves surrounded on all sides. Leia tried to protect Han, who was trying to push himself off the floor and get in front of his wife. Chewbacca was roaring, and using his bowcaster to take out any enemy who even flinched. Wedge and Zeeli were also putting their blasters to cold, efficient use. Antilles was just glad to finally have an outlet for his incredible rage at having been used as bait. And Zeeli was relieved to find that this time; his courage had not deserted him.

As the battle continued, it quickly became a rout in the rebel's favor, especially when Luke and his group joined them. The mercenaries and storm troopers seemed to have no drive, since they were without effective leadership. As the Alliance personnel drove them further and further into the hallways, they suddenly came upon the operating suite where Judge Cadnell was being tended to, after suffering the wound previously inflicted by Leia.

That was when things went bad, one more time. Apparently, the guards surrounding the medical section were much more highly trained than those who had been left to guard the entrance. As Wedge Antilles charged around a corner, he was closely followed by Kalena. The doors to the medical unit burst open just as the two of them came within range. Wedge got off two quick shots, disabling one and killing the other. But before he could take out the third guard, he was devastated to see that he was not going to be in time to stop what was happening next. Kalena, anxious to prove herself, but terrified of all the fighting, misjudged the amount of time she had to defend herself. She raised her blaster, trying to protect Wedge and realized she was in the direct line of fire herself.

Kalena then had an answer to a question she had always wondered about. Your life DID flash before your eyes, just before you were going to die. She was sure it was the end for her and realized her only regret was that she wasn't going to be able to personally apologize to the Solo's and Luke Skywalker. But as she mentally prepared for death, she was suddenly and violently shoved backwards, just as the blaster rifle discharged its death bolt in her direction. She was flung against the wall and momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered when she realized what had happened.

"Zeeli," she whispered, as her eyes registered that the young man had thrown himself in front of her, pushing her out of harm's way at the same time. She saw him go down and experienced immediate grief, fearing he had been killed. "No! You have to be all right." And she fell to her knees in the middle of the battle still raging around her. All sounds faded away as she gathered Zeeli into her arms, cradling his head and whispering words of comfort. She was rewarded by the sight of his eyes opening, and a tiny, triumphant smile.

"I did it!" he managed to croak out. "This time, I didn't run. I'm not a coward, I'm not…" Then his eyes closed and his head lolled back. Tears streamed down Kalena's face as she stroked his cheek. "Oh please, don't die. I couldn't bear it. Please Zeeli, hang on."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothing!**

_**A/N:**__ Thanks, to everyone, as always, for your interest in this story. Especially to my faithful reviewers, you all rock! _

_I've had a lot __of fun to writing this particular story. It's been entertaining for me to explore the developing interaction between Han and Leia as they face married life, and as Leia begins her force training. It has also been amusing to tease Luke, as he adjusts to having a brother-in-law like Han Solo. And I've enjoyed getting to know my new characters – Zeeli and Kalena and I think they may reappear in a future story. I've something in mind, where Zeeli is given the chance to rescue his sister and mother, with a little help from his Alliance friends. It will be called "Time Will Tell" and that is about all I know about it so far._

_As always, any medical errors are mine. I simply write what I enjoy, and I don't claim to be completely accurate. Hopefully nothing will be so glaringly awful that it will distract from the story._

_Anyway, thank you again for reading, and now, please enjoy the conclusion to "The Princess and the Pirate."_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**The Princess and The Pirate**

**Chapter 13**

**All's Well That Ends Well**

Kalena put her hand to Zeeli's neck frantically feeling for a pulse. She was rewarded with a faint fluttering beneath her fingertips. Sighing in relief, it was only then she looked around and realized the battle, which had seemed so deadly only a moment before, was now over.

Before she could call for help, Wedge dropped down next to her, medical kit in hand. He had gone first to Solo, but Han, having witnessed what Zeeli had just done, had demanded that the young Ensign be treated first. When Leia had been set to protest, he had stopped her by looking into her eyes, and pleading with her to understand. Solo hated it when people were in any way hurt for his sake. Luke had knelt next to Han, helping him into a sitting position to ease the pressure on his laboring lungs, but had handed the med kit over to Wedge without a word, after witnessing the silent exchange between his sister and brother-in-law.

Pulling out the portable medi-scanner, Wedge carefully ran it over the very serious looking blaster wound Zeeli had in his upper right chest. Looking up at Kalena, he took a moment to lay a hand on her shoulder. "It's bad, Kalena," he said. "I won't kid you. He needs help soon. We need to get him to the Falcon right away. He'll have a chance if we can use the diagnostic bed for treatment."

Wedge looked around in frustration, knowing Han Solo would likely need that medical equipment as badly as or worse than the wounded Ensign. It wasn't that there weren't medical facilities on Tal Edonn, it was just that they were quite primitive and both the severely injured men had a much better chance if they were to be treated by the more sophisticated equipment on board the Falcon.

Captain Wedge Antilles was not known for wasting time or being indecisive. Whether he liked the options that were presented to him or not, he was able to size up a situation and choose the most efficient solution, the one that had the best chance of helping the most people. This time was no exception. He quickly organized the rebels into various teams.

"You," he called to a Lieutenant. "Call in all but a skeleton crew from the Falcon. Have them set up a perimeter and round up any stragglers. Hold any prisoners here until you are relieved. I'll contact our military counterparts here on the planet and send you help as soon as possible."

Leaning over Zeeli, Wedge grinned as the younger man's eyes fluttered open. He knew firsthand how disorienting shifting in and out of consciousness, especially when you were in pain, could be. "Hey there, kid," he said calmly. "We're going to get you fixed up in no time. You just lie there quietly and let this lovely young lady take care of you until we can get you back on board the Falcon." Zeeli squinted up, first at Wedge, and then as his eyes focused, at the beautiful woman gazing down at him, with something that looked to be more than just concern for his injury, showing in her eyes. "I think I can manage that, Captain," he managed a small grin of his own, and did not protest when he felt Kalena's hand grasp his. Somehow, Zeeli knew that things had turned a corner in his life, and that it was only going to get better from here on out.

Meanwhile, Leia and Luke were occupied with their own patient. Han was now fully awake, apparently still reacting both to the force boosts Leia had given him, and to the adrenalin still running through his system at all of the excitement. "I'm fine, I tell 'ya," and he tried to bat Luke's hands away as the Jedi Master sought to better examine him. Solo might be awake, but that did not necessarily mean he was in the frame of mind to be cooperative. The truth was, he hurt all over, he was exhausted, he was more than a little confused at everything that had happened, and he didn't like any of those sensations at all. Captain Solo was a man used to being in charge: of any situation he found himself in, of those around him and especially of his own body. So he felt more than a little betrayed when he realized that he wasn't in particular control of any of those things. Even though he knew he was being unreasonable, he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Leave me alone, will ya?" he grumbled. Han's fever was extremely high, and he was reacting out of near delirium by this point. "Not likely, Solo. Not likely. After all the trouble we went through to rescue you, you think I want to leave you alone now? Leia would kill me, anyway. Now be still and let me check you out." Luke ignored Han as he continued to try and push his hands away. "Wedge, you finished with that?" he asked, reaching out for the medi-scanner. Glancing at his sister, Luke dialed in Han's medical specifics and began running the scanner over his battered and bruised torso. "Solo, Solo, Solo. You just can't do anything by half measures, can you?" he shook his head.

Leia had pinned her husband's eyes with her own, silently imploring him to be still and let them help him. Even when no one else could get through to him, she was somehow able to. Though he hated everything going on completely and thoroughly, he reacted to the look in her eyes and finally calmed down, at least enough so that Luke could finish getting a reading. Leia kept a hand on her husband's hot brow, but leaned over to see the results for herself. Closing her own eyes briefly, so Han wouldn't see the fear registered in them, she was terrified that this time he wouldn't benefit from the famous Solo luck.

"Well?" Han growled, as the silence around him lengthened. Leia mentally shook herself, then reining her emotions under tight control, she replied. "Well, you've managed to mess yourself up royally this time, Nerfherder. You're having trouble breathing because you've punctured your right lung. And you have pneumonia. And, there's something…" she looked at the scanner again, watching as it ran through a series of diagnostics. Her mouth tightened in a fine line as she read the results. "It's not just pneumonia, Han," she glanced at her husband, noting the growing confusion on his features. "You've picked up an infection. Looks like something native to this planet. I think I hate Tal Edonn."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Han Solo tried to absorb all the information he was being given. But for some reason, his ability to track and process ideas and thoughts seemed to be completely impaired. He saw Leia take out a hypo and tried to protest, not wanting the added confusion pain medications would bring him. But before he could open his mouth to refuse, Leia shushed him. "It's just an antibiotic, Han. As much as I want to give you something for the pain, I can't. Your lung function is too depressed. We can't give you anything until we either get you to the Falcon or to a medical facility."

Leia looked at Luke and Wedge; like them, she knew Han's best chance lay in getting him treatment as soon as possible. And while the facilities on Tal Edonn were primitive, they might be better equipped to handle the particular infection he had, since it was native to their planet. "I don't know where to take him," she thought. And the Princess was stunned to realize she didn't know what to do. She, like Han, was used to making decisions easily and without second guessing herself. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered as she felt tears welling up.

Leia realized she was exhausted. And suddenly, she was terribly afraid she was going to give in to her emotions and cry. Now that the excitement of the fighting and rescue had diminished, and with the amount of force energy she had expended when she lent her own strength to her husband, she simply had nothing left. Even the relatively simple decision of where to get the best treatment seemed too huge of a choice for her to make. She remembered just a few days ago, being so thrilled with the sound of her new name: Leia Organa Solo. Now she was faced with the very frightening reality that the name might not belong to her much longer, if they couldn't get appropriate treatment for Han right away. To her horror, as the tears continued to pool and then slowly slip down her face, she felt herself growing faint, as her senses seemed to slowly recede.

The next thing Leia knew, Luke was leaning over her. She was stretched out beside her husband, who has propped himself up on one elbow and was anxiously watching as Luke gently patted her cheeks. Chewbacca had a cool cloth in his hand, which he laid on her forehead, then he gently patted her. "What? Where am I? What happened? Is Han ok? What's going on?" Leia felt strength returning to her, and suddenly her head was much clearer. She thought maybe Luke had used a force jolt of his own when saw him smiling at her.

"The Ysalarmis happened, Leia," he smiled. "When the team that was sweeping for stragglers came across their cages, one of the techs felt sorry for the things; he thinks they're cute."

Leia was still confused, but she pushed Chewie's hand off her head and sat up. "What in the world are you talking about, Luke?" she frowned at her brother, looking around trying to see what he might be referring to. Noticing a younger member of the team that had come on the mission with them ducking his head and looking a little sheepish, she raised her eyebrows, and the effect was that she looked royal and pissed off at the same time.

"Ah, Princess, I'm, um sorry. That is, well, I found a cell with an open door and a couple of guards laying there. I thought they were dead, but they were just out of it. When I called for backup and I was waiting for someone to get there, I noticed the cages." The young man stopped, but upon seeing Leia cross her arms and glare even more crossly at him, he gulped and continued. "I checked to see what was in them, and found the cutest little things you ever saw," his voice trailed off at the astonished look the Princess gave him at that statement. "Cute?" her voice was furious. "Those 'cute' little things almost got us killed!"

"Easy, Leia, he couldn't know." Luke was fighting back his amusement as his sister's outrage found a hapless target. If not for the two seriously wounded men laying on the ground, waiting for the stretchers that would move them closer to the help they desperately needed, he would have laughed out loud. As it was, he could barely choke back a chuckle. "You're the one who didn't want me to kill them, remember?"

Leia turned her glare on her brother, but motioned for the explanation to continue. "And what, exactly, did you do with these charming little rodents?" she demanded.

"Um, I let them out. And they liked me. They climbed up on my shoulders and started, sort of purring. I was bringing them here, to show you…." His voice trailed off, not wanting to point out that it was well known how much the Princess liked small animals. Everyone knew about her pet Meer Cat, Aubie, and how much she doted on the little creature. "Never mind," the poor man mumbled. _**(see "Once Upon a Rebellion" for back story regarding Leia's pet and Aubie.)**_

Luke took pity on the young technician and clapped him on the shoulder. "Why don't you go meet the team bringing the stretchers in, make sure they get here as fast as possible." Only too glad to be out of range of the Princess' deadly stare, he nodded, saluted and trotted off. Still smiling, Luke turned back to Leia, first making sure Solo was as comfortable as possible. Chewbacca settled in behind his life bonded partner, easing him up and holding him against his massive chest, hoping it would help him breathe a little easier.

"He brought them right here," Luke said. "First I realized it was when I saw you go down, and then felt my force senses slipping away. I stopped him, and explained why we can't have those 'cute' little things anywhere near us. He felt terrible; he'd wanted to cheer you up, not make you faint."

"I did not faint!" Leia exclaimed, but then even she began to see the humor in the situation, now that her head wasn't reeling. "Well, I didn't, not technically anyway."

All was quiet for a few minutes, and then Leia could not help but ask, "So, what happened to them anyway? You didn't hurt them did you, Luke?" Even Solo, as miserable as he was, managed a grin at that comment. "My wife," he quipped. "More worried about a couple of furballs than her own husband." After a glance at her face, he sighed. "I know, 'Shut up Solo," he said it for her.

"I had them taken back to the cages. They'll be picked up and delivered to a local vet after we're safely off planet. They seem fine, but this way I knew they'd be ok. And if I never see another Yalsimiri again it will be too soon." Leia nodded in agreement; then turned her attention back fully to Han as another coughing fit seized him. "I hope they hurry," she murmured, as she gently wiped his hot forehead with the same cool cloth Chewbacca had brought for her.

Fortunately, it was only a short time later when the team came back, led by the still shamefaced technician who had almost wreaked havoc by releasing the force dampening animals. After that, things moved quickly. Leia was still undecided about where to take Han for treatment, but he settled that question. "I ain't going nowhere but to the Falcon," he said adamantly and rather than waste time by arguing with the stubborn Corellian, Leia nodded her agreement.

They loaded both injured men into the Falcon's medical bay. Zeeli was quickly hooked up to the diagnostic bed and his treatment started. Kalena rarely left his side. All were relieved when it became apparent that unless things took a turn for the worse, he would survive.

Meanwhile, Luke, Leia and Chewbacca focused on taking care of a very sick Han Solo. Using the medical equipment on board and taking advantage of the fact that all of Han's medical history was already programmed in; they came up with a treatment plan that showed limited success. Though the trip back was harrowing, and Solo was struggling to breathe, and in fact, to stay alive, Wedge made the trip in record time. Only 3 days after leaving Tal Edonn for what Leia fervently hoped was the last time, they arrived home.

By the time they landed on Coruscant they had already called ahead, so two surgical teams were standing by. Both Solo and Zeeli were rushed to immediate surgery. Zeeli's was fairly straight forward, and he came through with flying colors. It seemed only a few hours had passed before the surgeon came out to speak to them.

"Is Ensign Thorensen's family here?" she asked, looking around the crowded waiting room. Wedge and Kalena quickly got to their feet. "I'm his superior officer,"Wedge said. "Zeeli has no blood relatives still living that I know of." The doctor nodded at him, glanced first at Kalena, and then at the others gathered, and when she received a nod in response from the Captain, she gave her report. "He came through just fine. There was a lot of damage, to the muscles and tendons and infection had already set in, however, we were able to arrest it, and to repair the damage. He'll need therapy, but he should make a full recovery." She smiled at Kalena's sigh of relief; then turned toward Princess Leia.

Leia had come up next to Kalena and slipped an arm around her as the doctor gave her report, and smiled as the younger woman sobbed in relief. "You really care about him, don't you?" Leia asked. At Kalena's nod, Leia hugged her. "Then be sure and tell him when he wakes up. Don't wait, Kalena; life is too important and too fragile to waste any time."

Leia turned her head toward the doctor and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, Princess; I don't have any information on Captain Solo yet. I'll see what I can fine out." She tried to look reassuring, but no one was fooled. They knew just how sick Han was.

Leia tried to encourage Kalena and Wedge to go and get some rest while they were waiting, but was unsurprised when they chose to continue waiting with them. Kalena did go and see Zeeli as soon as he was moved from the recovery area to his room, but came back out to sit with the rest of them as the long night wore on.

Leia thought back to the number of times she had been in this position before, waiting in a hospital to see if her husband was going to survive. She was really tired of it and wished she believed it would never happen again, though she knew better. Another hour passed, before they were finally rewarded with the sight of same surgeon who had given them an update on Zeeli coming out of the operating suite. She looked grim, and Leia felt her heart stop for a moment. She didn't hesitate, but came straight to Leia. "Princess," she said. "I wish I had better news. But it isn't good. The Captain is, well, his heart stopped twice and the head surgeon has had to postpone the rest of the surgery until he stabilizes. We'll be monitoring him closely, and try to finish repairing the damage in the next 10-12 hours."

Leia managed to keep her composure and thanked the doctor for the update before she sank into a chair. Looking up, she asked if she could see him. The doctor was about to refuse, but at the sight of the deep fear in Leia's eyes, changed her mind. "Yes, of course, Princess. But," and she held up a hand to forestall the request she knew was coming from the others. "But just you. He is sedated and won't even be aware you are there. He needs complete quiet." Looking around, she tried a smile again. "It's the infection. We've tried everything but so far we haven't been able to control it. If we can't knock it down soon, I don't know if he can rally enough to tolerate the rest of the surgery. And without it, he simply won't survive."

The room was silent. Then, Leia got up, squared her shoulders, hugged Luke and nodded for the doctor to take her to her husband. A few minutes later, she was sitting beside a strangely still and quiet Han Solo. She reached out and took his left hand in hers, being careful not to disturb the various tubes and IVs that seemed to be everywhere. She couldn't help her alarm at how hot he still was, in spite of all the medication she knew he was on. Sighing, she settled in for a long wait. Resting her head on his beside, she eventually gave in to her exhaustion and fell into a troubled sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, she was startled awake. It took her moment to figure out where she was and what was happening. Leia realized she had been dreaming. She and Han had been on a beach, on Corellia, she was sure of it. They were running together, hand in hand, moving in and out of the surf and laughing; carefree for once. But all of a sudden, the dream had changed. Han had gradually pulled away from her, letting go of her hand and though she tried desperately to stop him, to keep him close, he was suddenly in deep water, and seemed to be drifting further and further away from her. Leia heard herself calling to him, and saw him raise his eyes to hers. His smile was the one she loved the best, cheeky and lopsided. He raised a hand in salute and then he slowly sank beneath the waves. She called and called him, but couldn't see him.

Leia felt the tears rolling down her face. She was afraid to look up and see if Han was still alive. He seemed so unnaturally still. But finally, she could bear it no longer. She braced herself for whatever she would find. To her amazement, instead of a lifeless face, empty and vacant, Han's eyes were open. He looked confused and was in obvious pain, but he was very much alive.

"Leia?" his voice was a mere croak. "What's goin' on? I was dreaming; the ocean. . ." he grimaced as a spasm of pain gripped him. A slight gasp and he continued. "We were together, and then, I, it's confusing, but, I was drifting away and I couldn't see you anymore."

Leia tenderly brushed an errant lock of hair back from his face, noting with relief that his forehead wasn't quite as hot. "I know, Han. I had the same dream."

Han looked into her eyes. "I felt like I was goin' under; I couldn't breathe, and I was, well I was kinda scared." Leia knew how hard it was for him to admit to fear of any kind. She smiled and nodded for him to continue. "I wasn't afraid of dying, Leia. I was afraid of leaving you. I don't think I could stand the thought of being without you; or leaving you alone."

Leia leaned into him then, and managed to hug him in spite of all the wires and tubes. "I couldn't bear it either, flyboy. I never want to be without you again." Han had little strength, but he found enough to return her hug. "Then I heard you, sweetheart. I heard you calling me, and I suddenly knew my way back. I found the strength to swim to shore, and you were there, waiting for me." He gently caressed her back, and then felt himself giving in once more to the pull of deep sleep. A huge yawn escaped him, and he whispered, "Sorry, but I think I'll take a little nap now." Leia was relieved to see him slip into a natural sleep instead of the coma he had been lapsing in and out of. She laid her head back down beside him, and found her own rest as well.

That is how they were found a few hours later when the doctors came in to check on their patient. Han was taken back to surgery, and Leia finally consented to get some rest. She knew now that he was going to be all right and she wanted to be able to be with him when he woke up.

A few days later, she was sitting beside her now recovering husband, listening to him talk to Zeeli, who was his roommate. Han wanted to know all about what had happened between their capture and the rescue, and both of the Solos were surprised at the amount of talking the normally reticent young man seemed willing to do. In fact, the only time he was quiet was when Kalena entered the room. He reverted almost instantly to his quiet, shy military persona.

Kalena tried to talk to him, but was a bit discouraged at his monosyllable responses. Finally, looking to Leia for inspiration and receiving a nod of encouragement she looked directly into Zeeli's eyes. She knew she loved him and she was sure he loved her too, but she was also pretty sure he wasn't ever going to do anything about it. Fortunately, on her world, women were as likely to propose as men, so she took it upon herself to "pop the question," as Han had teased her about the day before.

Looking at the uncomfortable young Ensign, she gathered her courage and reached out, taking his hand in hers. "Zeeli," she said, looking into his eyes. "I've got something to ask you. I hope you won't find me too forward, but, please? Will you marry me?"

Zeeli's mouth opened and closed, making him look rather like a large fish. "I, you want to, me?" he managed to squeak out. Looking at Han in a near panic, he stage whispered, "What do I do?"

Han Solo grinned, took Leia's hand in his and said, "Well, man. Say yes!" At Leia's smile and nod, he added, "After all, once you get past their bossiness, their annoying ways of interfering with everything you want to do, their need to completely control your life and the fact that you'll never have a moment's peace again – they're mostly worth it. And come Zeeli – she's kinda cute." Then he ducked as Leia punched him "Ouch! Quit hittin' a sick man!"

Luke, standing in the hall, was gratified to hear that all seemed to be well with both the recovering men. Looking at Wedge and Chewbacca, he shook his head. "He'll never change, will he?" Wedge, relieved that his friend was going to fully recover, opened the door to the sick room and replied, "He'd better not. We wouldn't know what to do with him if he was normal."

The laugher that rang out from the room made the doctor who was just starting her rounds stop and smile. She knew that as long as the same determined spirit shown by the Solo's, Skywalker and their friends continued, nothing would stop the new Alliance from being a success. The Princess and the Pirate would be at the forefront of all of the struggles the new government was facing, she was sure of that. But she was equally sure they were up to the challenge. "All's well that ends well, she thought." And she knew nothing could stop them now.

_**The end.**_


End file.
